Lightning bolts
by vballfanatic
Summary: LIfe is normal until one, rainy night Max is struck by lightning, causing her to develop special powers that would help in her quest as the the Chosen one. CHAPTER 10 finally here! So very sorry for delay. :
1. Chapter 1

**Lightning bolts**

**By: vballfanatic**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Dark Angel or any of it's contents. There. I wish I did cuz then there'd be a season 3 and I would do a better job...Just kidding! Please don't sue me! I am nothing but a poor fisherman living off scraps of bread and the occasional lobster...

Alrighty here's chapter 1:

Pit, pat, pit, pat… I watched in fascination as the little droplets of water made their way down the windowsill. Suddenly, I had this innate urge to go out in the rain and dance. Crazy, huh? The smart thing to have done was go over to H.Q and talk to Alec about T.C's inhabitants. Well, I wasn't exactly feeling very smart today and that was why fifteen minutes later, I found myself standing out in the rain, wet down to my undies and doing the Macarena.

That was how Alec saw me. To say he was shocked was an understatement. His eyes seemed to bulge out of his head and he was clutching his stomach to refrain from full-out laughing. I glared at him, or at least tried to. You try being mad when water rejuvenates your body like a cool and refreshing blanket. By nature, cats hate water and I'm usually the same way but now... I don't now. It's weird. I've changed in more ways than one...

For example; I'm way more perceptive and friendly now. It's kind of creepy. I'm still a bitch but for some reason, people _like_ me for it. That's it. Maybe it's _everybody else that's changed. _

'Or maybe, my inner voice taunted, 'having Logan gone just had you a little happier and less tense.' Heck, I've even started to _like _Alec's company. I shuddered involuntarily. Way too creepy; I'd better stop this train of thought. Besides, Alec is starting to look at me funny. I slapped him upside the head.

"Ow! What the hell was _that _for?" He rubbed the spot on his head and glanced at me irritably. I smirked, "_That _was for looking at me funny." To my surprise, he blushed. Yes, the great Casanova actually blushed. But I let it go; I wasn't evil. Instead I continued, "And this," I smacked playfully again on the shoulder, "is for questioning my judgment."

"Jeez, Max. I come out here to make sure your okay and this is how you thank me?" He pouted adorably.

Whoa. Did I just call Alec adorable? I mean, we've gotten extremely close and all, running Terminal City together but affection? That's something I've never regarded him of.

Brushing that disturbing thought aside, I started to climb up my T.C apartment. Immediately, Alec started talking again. "Ummmm, Max? What'd you think you're going? Isn't that kind of I don't know..._dangerous._"

I didn't answer, opting instead to glare at him from my vantage point on a 4th story windowsill. Realizing he wasn't getting through to me, Alec hoisted him up a fire escape ladder instead, following me to the roof. With one last pull, I went over the ledge to land solidly on a discarded piece metal. Hmmm. Dix could probably use this for one of his electronic gadgets. Behind me, Alec let out a low whistle. He was looking around as well, probably thinking the same thing as me.

"Dix could probably use this for one of his electronic gadgets," he said offhandedly.

The similarity of our thoughts unnerved me. Alec had gotten close to me by now and I started to move away but his hand caught my elbow. I looked up at him and instantly, all thought disappeared. All I could see were his intense green eyes boring into mine. Distantly, I noted the golden flecks dotted across his eyes. Like magnets, our two bodies started to drift even closer together...Then, Alec shook his head and water rained over my face, excuse the pun, to wake me up from my reverie.

Instantly, I jumped backwards about twenty feet away (we are transgenic after all), to land ungracefully on my behind (we're part human, too). The cold, wet rain started to seep into my jeans. I groaned inwardly. Meanwhile, Alec stood a safe distance away, laughing his butt off. I made a move to stand up but suddenly a cold fear gripped me and I looked up to see a huge bolt of light coming to me full force. I'm a transgenic not a God and, therefore, what happened next was inevitable. A piercing pain registered in my pain and then all was black...

A/N: Will Max die? Will Alec get a new honey? It's up to you guys. Give me suggestions. You decide whether this'll be a stand alone or not... Reviews mean love people. Love means a happy me and a happy me means a second chapter : )


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay I felt bad about leaving u guys hangin so I wrote what to me was an xtra long chapter... Also, I apologize for the wait but I really wanted to do a good job on this so I rewrote it like 3 times.I hope it doesn't disappoint...BTW thanks for the reviews:

X5 - 452 and 494: hehe! ok here's ur ch 2...

mahine: we'll see ; )

tif: )

suze: I seriously hope this one doesn't disappoint

lakegirl: nice input : )

alecsgirl452: whoo! m/a, yeah!

Pwincess Bby Mel: thank you!

darkphania: i totally agree... but we'll see

haylz: thank u, thank u very much

dooski: i hate logan too...: )

anon: i luv ur review! I'll keep that in mind...is this 1 any better u think?

purplebunnywabbit: thnx! did i tell u i luv ur stories?

jorie: great idea...I'll def. keep that in mind

All right here's Chapter two:

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that Alec was in the room… and based on the odor, has been for a long time with all apparent knowledge about hygiene and personal care forgotten. Then and only then did the massive migraine in my head make its existence be known.

I tried to sit up, realizing too late that my whole body, and not just my head, was affected by the… By the _what _exactly? Let's see, I was dancing out in the rain when Alec showed up. He was so adorable…

HOLY MOTHER! Okay, obviously I was hit with a thunderbolt because there's no way I just called Alec adorable. Oh, that's right. I _WAS_ HIT WITH A FREAKIN' THUNDERBOLT! I groaned involuntarily. In a flash, Alec was awake and by my side. His concerned gaze bore into mine. I couldn't breathe. Mentally shaking myself I croaked, "Water."

Without another word, he was gone and returned later with 10 bottled waters. I noted this with amusement. "I'm not a camel, Alec; I don't need twenty gallons of water to survive," I said facetiously.

He smiled, creating an unfamiliar sensation in my stomach. "Nice to know you're up and out, Max. You were down for 6 whole days—" He stopped suddenly.

"What?" I demanded urgently. 'Was White coming? I don't hear a single thing.' He just stared at me, frowning. He finally spoke, "Do you remember what happened?"

What kind of a question was that?

"OF COURSE, I remember what happened. It's not everyday I get struck by lightning," I thundered, excuse the pun. Did I mention I turn into uber-bitch during the mornings? That's when I realized something; Alec said I've been gone for 6 whole days. Based on the room's decidedly Alec-odor, he's been here that entire time. Has he even stepped a foot outside the hospital ward? I wondered belatedly. I looked up at him sheepishly, expecting to see an angry face. Instead, his eyes were hesitant. He was obviously hiding something.

Alec, tell me what's wrong before I kick your ass," I said resignedly. He smirked. "As if you could, Maxie." I ducked my head so that he wouldn't see the smile that was threatening to cover my face. I needed to be serious. I reproached him, "Quit, stalling, smart-ass."

He grinned lazily. "Always with the ass…" He stopped after seeing my uncompromising face. He rolled his eyes. "Fine." He cleared his throat. "The lightning bolt that hit you..."

I couldn't take it anymore. I sat up, ignoring the searing pain going through my body, and stood as close to him as I dared, eyes blazing. "Alec, spit. It. Out." He looked down at me, eyes alight with..was that _passion_? For me? The room shrank from its normal size and the pain melted away. Our lips were only inches apart…

But then Alec pulled away. "Max," he finally croaked, "you almost died. You were out for 6 days when it should have only taken three to get your body restored."

I was disappointed at first but my hopes flared at the obvious concern laced in his tone. Wait a minute. Hopes? What the hell is wrong with me? I could almost hear O.C's voice saying, "Denial and Max; it goes together like salt and vinegar."

'Maybe it's the drugs,' I thought distantly. I forced myself to pay attention; Alec was still talking.

"...no thunder. Don't your remember the phrase, "Thunder and lightning, goes together like cake and icing?"

"Wait a minute...You're right, I don't even recall _seeing_ flashes of light in the sky before going up the building!"

I started to pace frantically, my enthusiasm getting the better of me. Big mistake. Almost instantly, my head started to pound achingly and I fell into a deep slumber once more...

It seems as if I'm _always _waking up these days. I felt a bit, I don't know, helpless I guess. Suddenly motivated, I started to sit up from the bed, but two things stopped me; first, my body protested in the form of excruciating pain and, secondly, my traitorous limbs were entangled with Alec's and I, for obvious reasons, did not want to wake him up.

But on the other hand, I _did _have (from what Alec managed to tell me last night) about a week's worth of work to catch up on. I frowned in consternation. 'Thunder _and_ lightning.' Our impromptu conversation last night came back to me. I was out before thunder could have reached my ears so there was really no way of knowing. But Alec said there was no thunder and that was the end of it… He's a transgenic for crying out loud. There was no _way _that thunder, which was equivalent to a sonic boom in our ears, would go by unnoticed. Anyway, I made a mental note to check it out with Dix later.

Wantonly, my thoughts returned to Alec. I still couldn't _believe _he had shown so much concern. Our relationship had definitely improved since during that 'night' but when he was holding me in his arms, I felt so safe; like how it used to be before the escape. Maybe it's just my hopeful imaginations. Besides it would never work out between us... I mean, he's the Casanova and I'm the...what? I don't even know what I am.

I guess spending so much time with Logan who had tried to mold me into something I'm not has confused me. And, well, Alec is so comfortable in his own skin, something I envy. Sure, I'm gradually starting to recover the remnants of what I once was and the residents at T.C have come to accept and even like me...but it still wasn't enough.

An idea started to form in my head...Being with Alec reminded me that I need to start doubling my efforts to find my siblings. They, I was sure, were the only ones who could help me.

"Mole get Dix, Luke, Wilson, and anyone dumbass in charge of anything in the conference room at 1100 hours," I barked at the unsuspecting lizard-man with the ever-present cigar. For a brief second, I thought I almost saw a glimmer of respect and admiration in his eyes before he gave me a half-hearted glare and said a sarcastic, "Yes, Princess."

"Good boy," I shot back in saccharine voice. "

Kiss my ass..." I grinned.

"I heard that and no way am I going _near_ that rat-infest face of yours," I called back before walking away in the direction of my office.

"Damn those X5's..."

I shut the door with a resounding _thwack. _I had barely situated myself on a beat-up chair when Alec came barging in through the door. Perfect timing.

He faced me angrily. "You're still recovering, Max. Overworking yourself is just gonna make things worse."

Even though I was a bit irritated, I couldn't help but feel touched at his anxiety. But then he continued, "After all, who's gonna run T.C after their beloved leader has gone, huh? Me? I think not."

Ass. "You mean to tell me that you wouldn't take responsibility for T.C when I'm gone and all so can have time to play Casanova to a bunch of whores?" I raged.

If it was possible, he looked even angrier. His voice became cold as ice, "My _reason_ was because I thought myself _unfit_ in comparison to you. I thought you knew me better, Max...but I guess was wrong. It wouldn't be the first time, _would it_?" His words only reminded me of how bitchy I was, correction, _am_ to him. No wonder he's not interested.

I laid my head down on my hands. What the _hell _just happened? That was when I heard a voice somewhere outside.

"I cannot _believe_ he turned me down! Just so what? He can play Mommy to our leader? Just because she 'founded' T.C doesn't give her the right to steal our men! Who does she think she is? I mean, dating that human is bad enough..." It was an X5 named Genoa, probably talking to her evil witch friends, Cecile and Beatrix.

I closed my ears to the rest of their conversation. It made me feel even guiltier than I already was.

Alec had chosen to stay up all night just so I wouldn't be alone over a night of pleasure...

My emotions flared at those thoughts. Jealousy started to wash over me in waves. Unbidden images of Alec and some other girl in bed came to my head. I shook myself. Suddenly, I felt the intense urge to pound Genoa into a bloody pulp

The need was killing me, clouding my senses and making it _impossible_ to think of anything else. I sat up from my chair, my body shaking in uncontrollable rage. How _dare_ that bitch try to come after my man! He was _mine_ and no one else's! Blood pounded in my veins and my breath came in short, angry gasps. Unable to control myself, my feet started towards the door on their own accord.

What happened next was inconceivable; what can only be explained as a burst of power emancipated from me, and a book on the shelf came out from its nuke to hang in midair and suddenly explode into a millions little fragments of frayed paper. When all this was over and my knees unexpectedly gave out, all I could think as I slumped on the floor was, 'Blue Lady, have mercy.'

A/N: A little Matilda-action goin' on at the end, huh? I know it's getting confusing but I promise I'll straighten it out in the next 1 or 2 chapters...So what do you think? Should I just stop this right now?

Updated A/N: Okay, I changed the thunder b4 lightning part cuz it was inaccurate. I changed a couple things in ch 3, too. ;) Special thanks to acb for pointing out that out 4 me… that was embarrassing…hehehe. Well, it's good now folks so have fun!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Okay do I have to write this on every single one of my chapters? I'm stopping right here. I don't own Dark Angel or any of it's contents.

Okay here's a shout-out to the coolest ppl in the world:

Shellybelly23: I'm touched...Out comes the floodgates : ) Thanks so much 4 reviewing... i feel so honored. So I dedicate this to u! Peace!

Mahine: Kick the bucket? Not while I'm in this world: )

purplebunnywabbit: I just love the Green monster sooo much!

FemmePhantom: "Primal on her ass" ha! love it! Can i use dat phrase?

Nena: yes, that is how u spell it...

Jorie: Thank you! U know you should write stories 2! I would be the first one to review!

Alec's P.O.V:

What is love? Is it when your heart stops when you see the center of your world getting hit by a lightning bolt and you'd do anything to take their place? I caught Max before she even hit the ground. I never left her side since she was admitted into the ward. I was there when the seizures hit. I remember the disappointment that turned into anger when I woke up to find her gone.

I guess the combined anxiety and stress finally took its toll because I exploded on her.

All my life, I've never had to care about anyone else. It was great. If I messed up, then I was the only one that got punished. It was like that out here in the 'real world' at first, too. But a petite brunette with a fiery temper changed all that.

When I first saw Max, I knew she was going to turn my world upside-down. Ever since I walked in her cell and met her expressive chocolate-eyes, I knew I was whipped.

That's why it hurts every time she looks at me with disgust and treats me like nothing more than dirt on the bottom of her shoe. But the sad thing is, it's better than being invisible. I thought our relationship finally took a turn for the better during that fateful night about Ben. I thought we were actually friends. I guess that's why it pained me to realize that she still regarded me as an inconsiderate, irresponsible screw-up. Even after all I _did_ to shake that image.

Even after all I did for _her_.

But I pushed those feelings to the back of my mind, the bottom of my heart. I was a soldier, dammnit! So composing myself, I forced my trademark smirk to cover my face and swaggered out to H.Q.

I inconspicuously checked the reaction of the others. Mole looked pissed, Dix was tinkering with some metal parts, Luke was looking intently at the computer screen, and Wilson looked confused. So far, so good.

"Aaa-lec!" Genoa's screeching voice filled my ears. Does she not know that we're _all_ endowed with transgenic-hearing? I smirked, remembering her face when I refused her proposal. Looks like the stud's still got it...

"Hello, Genoa. Cecile, Beatrix; what a pleasure!" The forcedness of my voice went unnoticed by the G-Crew. The looked up at me with a simper. Ugh! Now, don't get me wrong, like all X's Genoa, Cecile, and Beatrix are all lookers. But I don't know...They're more of a nuisance now than a "notch on my bedpost," as Max would call it.

The alarming thing was, deep in my heart; I _knew_, without a doubt, that I'd have slept with them during the old days...Before I met a certain, ahem, _person_. I'll be the bigger person here; there was no use for name-calling.

Whoops. Cecile was talking.

"So Alec, are you and Queen Bitch having a fight or something?" she asked innocently. Genoa valiantly pinched her in the arm. Admirably, Cecile's fake smile remained plastered on her face... and X-5's can pinch!

"How'd you guess?"

"Nothing to it really. You just look like you're world fell apart." She giggled annoyingly. "Plus, she's been gone for 2 hours. I looked at my watch; it was 11:05. That was weird. Max is _never_ late for a meeting. Ironic, especially since she's so anti-discipline.

"Do you know where she is?" I tried for nonchalance. Then, as an assurance, I gave them a megawatt smile.

They fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

"Probably off playing "house" to her human," Cecile said with a snort.

My emotions flamed at those words. But my heart was telling a different story; Max hadn't gone to Logan's. I bet a thousand bucks she went to the Needle instead.

I was just setting out to go to her when I remembered something: we were in a fight! I recalled the hurt I felt rising back up my chest. The hole in my heart reopened. How many times has Max wounded me and, yet, I'm _still _the one that crawls back to her for forgiveness. Well, no more. It's Max's turn, now.

MAX'S POV:

The wind rushed along my cheeks, cool to the touch. I used to come up here because of the lack of noise. After the fight, and the whole F.F.P (Fainting and flying paperweight) Incident, I found myself feeling very lost. So I decided to do something productive, something that would take my mind off of _him. _

Marching determinedly out of H.Q, I talked to Dix about my body's strange behavior. He then showed me his latest developments concerning my runes. Apparently, a "light from the sky" would somehow better equip my body to destroy the Familiars. Cliff notes version: my already enhanced body gets an upgrade.

I turn more animal than human. This means that I can hear, see, and smell better. But it's not all for the good; my body gets more primal so I'm more emotional than normal. Dix says that's how my body's adjusting. See, if I were more sensitive then my powers could occur more frequently. But he says not to worry because all this is temporary; I should be able to control myself in a matter of days.

"_In a matter of days." _Are you freaking' kidding me?

And then there's the whole "telekinetic powers" thing. According to Dix, since we already have more-than-genius I.Q's, the next logical step would be telekinesis. Uhuh, logical, all right. That's why I found myself here, the Needle.

I guess _one_ of the reasons why this place means so much to me is because this was where I first met my brother Seth after the escape. Of course, he'd died soon after our encounter. But even for just a second, at least I caught a glimpse of him.

Then, this was where I first realized I cared more for Alec than I'd like to admit…

_**Flashback:**_

I was devastated. Logan and I had just broken up and I was feeling very depressed. Then, my savior came out from the shadows. He stood with the moonlight shining down on his body. I know: very melodramatic.

"Hey Max, thought I'd fine you here." He knew me so well.

But I was grieving for Logan. It wasn't right to feel happy right now. "I come up here to be alone," I said in hard voice. But he was nonplussed.

"Yeah, I know. But I figured after everything that went down today; we could both use a friend right now." A friend. That's all I needed; a shoulder to cry on. Well, not to _cry_ on… I still have to maintain appearances here, after all.

I strove hard to conceal a grin that was threatening to form. "Sit down."

He was quiet at first. Trying to give me some space, I guess. But being Alec, he couldn't stand the lack of noise. I wasn't mad; I kinda like hearing his voice. It made me feel safe.

"So, any deep thoughts you want to share? Any, uh, _profound_ realizations about life?"

"Yeah," I said softly, thinking of all the crap Logan had guilt-rode me into doing. "Love sucks."

_**End flashback**_

That's it. Meet the Apocalypse, everyone. I thought I'd rue the day when I'd view Alec as more than a pain in the behind. I guess I don't know myself that well, after all. As for the sudden urge to kill Genoe? Not sure just yet. It could be just the overreactions my powers had instilled in me…OR I could be attracted to Alec, which isn't a very unlikely possibility. A wise woman once told me, "Manticore sure 'em nice."

But I was through with thinking; I need to start _doing_. I looked over the ledge. If I was really enhanced—well _more_ enhanced_ …_

Without further ado, I leaped 500 ft below.

The chances of this being the stupidest thing I've ever done--and I've done a lot of stupid thing--considering the 99.9 percent chance of death? Hell, yeah. But who cares? It was exhilarating, pure and simple. I've never felt anything quite like it.

I felt my blood pound, my essence changing, turning invincible. The wind coursed along my body and the ground rose up to meet me.

Tensing my body, I met the earth.

There was a jarring impact and I crouched protectively into a ball, rolling for about 20 feet before a solid object stopped me. Hmmm. That smells familiar. I looked up...

And felt my heart, literally, stop beating.

"Hi, Max," my brother greeted me.

A/N: k, I changed some things…. For example, although Alec accepts his love for max, she is not about to return the favor just yet… Aight reel in those horns m/a lovaas cuz there's a special reason for this; the purpose of the story was to emphasize max's supereffinawesome powers and their little drama was gonna ruin it! So im sorry ppl plz don't kill me. Also, it would make it boring if _both_ of them admitted to the lovin' cuz then there'd be no UST and no challenge _What. So. Ever_!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel

A/N: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I know i said till march 5 but i had fcats and sem. Exams! I nd to maintain striaght A's to be able to continue w/ dancing/singing/volleyball/piano/mallwithfriends/or LIFE! Aaaaanyway, so sorry 4 my ramblings... here's the story:

Chapter three:

"Hello, Ames."

For the first time in his life, White was scared. He was scared of something no son should ever be; his father. He fought hard to keep the emotions from his face. What he'd give to be a transgenic right now. Despite their shortcomings, hiding emotions was something that they've excelled in all their lives.

"Hello, Sandeman," he said, remembering to keep his voice cool and detached.

The old man only looked amused. "So it's _Sandeman_ now, huh? After all I've done for you," his voice suddenly rose, "that is how you treat me?" His mouth formed a sneer. "Like one of your _subjects?" _

And just like that, White forgot all about the meaning of calm and collected. He burst, "All you've _done for me? _And what exactly, pray tell, is it that you've _done _for me? Huh? Could it be _forcing_ me to kill my wife? Holding that scum 452 above your own son?!"

But his father only laughed mirthlessly. "You are so predictable, Ames. If you're the cult's finest then it's no wonder the transgenic race haven't destroyed you already," he rasped.

Ames lost all patience. Seeing red, he charged for his father. His fist came out of nowhere...only to be held back by a force equal, if not greater, than his. He looked back, terrified. Behind him, stood a dirty-blond haired young man with impressive build and a face worthy of a pre-pulse fashion magazine. Behind him, without a doubt, stood a Manticore born and bred assassin.

He glowered at him, subdued. "You have a transgenic _bodyguard_?" He queried his father with malice.

"Only because I needed it."

"Now," Sandeman continued, straightening his shoulders, "I came here to discuss, eh, _business_."

White smirked cockily. "What makes you think I'd work with _you_?"

But Sandeman only smiled, a slow, evil smile that chilled White to the bone. "Because _I_ have your son." Those were the only words he'd needed to hear.

**1 hour later:**

White sat, shocked. He had no idea his father was this...evil. Sure, White was cold pitiless, and cruelly efficient. But in his own twisted way, he did it for a belief, a belief that the Familiars were a truly superior race, and, therefore, better equipped to rule the world.

Truth was, White _already _had a plan before his father came. He'd only been keeping quiet to try and bring down the transgenics' guard. His plan was simple; kill 452 and let the humans destroy the transgenics themselves. But Sandeman...

Sandeman was just evil. But the worst part was that White had to go with the plan because he had no choice. You see, unlike his father, he loved his son.

Miles away, little did White know that others were _also _having a family reunion, albeit a happier one.

Max's P.O.V

'I must be dreaming,' I thought distantly as I gazed at the handsome face of my brother. It was no mistake; even after ten years she'd have known that face, that flaxen hair anywhere. Then he smiled, and it made his face, if possible, even more handsome.

"Hello? You in there, Maxie?"

I could only gaze at him, speechless.

"I can'—Zane—Oh!" I did what words could not express; I hugged him. He responded, enveloping me in a gentle caress. That one simple gesture seemed to unclog my throat. 'Nice, Max. You finally meet your brother and you don't even know what to say.'

"Oh, God, Zane! I can't believe you're here! I've missed you so much!" Much better.

He looked at me tenderly. "Me too, Maxie. Me too."

"Just for the record; were you, um, _rolling_ down the hill?" His voice was close to my ear, mockingly condescending.

"Long story."

I shook my head. This was all too hard to digest. It was hard to believe that after ten years of fruitless searches and the general feeling of hopelessness, my brother had come to _me._ This was certainly an odd (but not unwelcome) turn of events.

"Let me take a look at you!" I exclaimed, pulling out of his arms.

Wow. Manticore sure made 'em well.

A well-built young man of 6' 5 replaced the lanky boy that I used to know. His face was now chiseled, his jaw well defined.

But it was his eyes that caught and rendered me speechless.

After years of hardship and fear usually associated with a person who literally has to run for their life everyday, (courtesy of Manticore) his marvelous green eyes still held the mischievous spark from our earlier years.

"Looks like Manticore did _something_ right," he said impishly. Some things never change. I punched him gently on the shoulder. The action reminded me so much of Alec that I almost winced.

Zane must have noticed the sudden change of mood because he tipped my head to meet his face. "Tsk, tsk. You shouldn't frown, Maxie. It makes you look old. Well," he paused, "old_er_." I grinned. It amazed me that after all these years Zane could still read me like a book.

"Psshht! You'reat _least_ 2 years older than _me,_" I retorted with an elegant snort.

"What? Me? Ol—"

I hastened to interrupt his ravings.

"Come on," I said roguishly, pulling him towards the direction of my bike, "it's time for you to meet the _rest_ of the family."

Alec's P.O.V:

I looked impatiently at the clock. Max has been missing for 30 minutes now. _Thirty whole minutes! '_Maybe she ran away. She could have skipped tow—' I stopped myself, feeling ashamed. I'm regarding Max in the same manner _she's _treated _me_. It was so easy to forget what you really think, to be carried away in the heat of the moment by insecurity and self-doubt.

'Huh,' I though ironically, 'this must be how Max felt.'

My self-contemplations were interrupted as Mole came barging in my apartment transgenic style: without knocking.

"Pretty Boy, get your ass out of bed. Max's here with her boyfriend."

Instantly, my self-recriminations were replaced by anger. 'I cannot _believe_ Max left us here to hang with Logan. Making us worry for nothing. Huh. I guess Cecile was right, after all. 'Well,' I amended, '_I've _been the only one worried.' Mole seems to think she'd just needed time alone. Nothing to worry about. Besides, he'd argued, she was an X5. She can take care of herself. Hmmm. Maybe I'm overreacting. I mean, she talks to Logan all the time and it _has_ been pretty stressful. No big deal. Right. I stood up and erased all trace of emotion on my face. I glanced at Mole.

He was frowning. Nothing new. Still I had to wonder...

"What?" I asked worriedly. "Do I have something on my face?'

He burst into laughter. "You are such a—"

"Such a _what_, Mole," I intercepted with a raised brow. He gave me a smirk. "Someone's sensitive today."

I kept my brow raised.

"Let's go to command," he answered, relenting but still with that damned smug grin on his face.

"Thought so."

Mole glared at me with defiance. "_What_ did you say, Pretty Boy?"

I didn't answer, alternatively, opting to blur to command instead.

I didn't stop...that is, until I felt a solid mo' fo' of a chest stop me. I let out a loud _oomph _before falling ungracefully to the ground.

Looking up, I saw Max trying very hard not laugh. But apparently not hard enough.

"You should—have seen—your face!" She managed to get out in between guffaws.

I tried to keep my heart cold, but the sight of Max was so damned beautiful and her laughter so infectious it was hard not to join in on the fun. With a Manticore mask, I approached Max, stance predatory.

It wasn't long before she noticed and her eyes widened. Without warning, I pounced on her, tickling her to the ground and causing her to erupt in a fit of uncontrollable giggles. I was just about to get flipped over by Max, who'd soon gotten the upper hand, when we heard two distinct '_ahems'. _Max and I froze, realizing for the first time that we were in H.Q and in front of 30 or so transgenics. And Logan. Whoops.

My insecurities soon returned, especially after noticing the well-built X5 that I'd bumped into earlier. To her credit, Max was neither blushing nor timid. She took one look at everyone and shrugged. "We're part cat, after all." Everyone let out a relieved laugh and she looked content. That was _before_ she noticed Logan.

Her eyes narrowed, showing her surprise and displeasure and her back became stiff as a rod. That was certainly...uncharacteristic of her. But apart from that, she showed no outward signs of perceiving him.

The X5, however, she apparently saw. Giving him a sheepish look, she took his hand and dragged him forward, or rather, to the center of attention. Now, it was _my _turn to narrow _my_ eyes.

Grinning, Max looked around the room and said in a loud, clear voice, "Everyone meet Zane."

There were collective, "Hi, Zane's" around the room. Zane mock-saluted in greeting. With an impish smile, he said, "Gentlemen, hi! Ladies,_ how you doin'?_" (A/N: think of Joe from "Friends")

Almost all the transgenics, who were devoted fans of the boob tube, like myself, caught the reference and gave a little chuckle. I, too, found the man funny. 'Too bad he's stealing _my _mate,' I thought darkly after catching the devoted and appreciating glance Max gave his way. _Whoa_. I love Max as a friend but even _I _know that we're never going to be like _that._

"All right you guys," Max said in a firm but obviously amused tone, "I believe we have a meeting to attend to.

'Oh boy,' I thought after getting a glimpse of Logan who was giving Max a determined stare, 'this is gonna be a long night.'

**During the meeting:**

"Alright, Mole, what's the stats on weaponry?" Max was all business.

"Ohmph shugha buga."

Max sighed in exaggerated exasperation. "It would help if you get that stick outta your mouth."

Mole smirked. "I don't know about _you_, Princess, but no stick ain't ever comin' near _my _mouth." Max in the most mature way I've ever seen, just gave him a look. And then she blew a spit wad at him. Nice.

Mole was fast, but not fast enough. It landed with a loud '_tchack' _smack dab on the middle of his forehead, a drop of saliva rolling down his nose. The lizard man stood up threateningly. But Max just kept her ground, head cocked, with a hand on a jutted hip. The moment was shattered, however, by another '_ahem.' _We all looked expectantly towards the source. It was Logan...looking like he just saw Lydecker getting busy with Renfro.

"We should get started on the _meeting_?" It was supposed to sound like an order but it came out more like a pathetic plea.

Max straightened and ignored him. "So, _Mole, _what's up with the firepower?"

"Well, we're low on ammo, zip on grenades and rocket launchers, and I need more cigars."

"_Cigars_?" It was Logan. Again.

"Yep. Got a problem with that?"

No answer.

"Thought so."

Max cleared her throat, ignoring Logan's hurt look. I kinda felt for the guy. I mean, he's not the only one pining for 'The Chose One.'

"How about you, Dix?"

"Well, we're gonna need a, uh, newer modem."

"There's a Pentium234 on sale at Office Depot for a couple hundred," Logan offered.

I snorted, Max looked pained, and Mole just looked pissed. Zane was off to the side, looking at Logan curiously. Then, slowly, his gaze went to me and then back to Logan again. A grin graced his faces and his eyes lit up in understanding. Okay, he's obvioulsy on _something..._

"No problem. I'm sure Alec and me can get one for you...one that cost less than a _couple of hundred,_" Max said deliberately. She spoke not unkindly but her eyes told of the anger she tried valiantly tried to suppress.

I quirked, hearing her mention my name. This is pathetic. _I'm supposed to be the one mad at _her, not the _other way around! _I shook my head, forcing myself to pay attention.

At this point, Logan had stood up, enraged. "You're going to _steal _it aren't you?" His tone was 100 percent patronizing.

Max looked like she was about to strangle him

I smoothly intercepted. "Alright. Everyone Out!" Max shot me a grateful look and I almost melted then and there. But I forced myself to sport a Manticore mask. Alec out, 494 in.

"Look, Logan, I know what you're trying to do here, okay? But it's not going to work this time, you hear?" Max bit out.

"_I'm _not trying to do anything. _You're _the one breaking the law here!"

"Breaking the law? Well, _guess what_? It's TOO LATE FOR THAT! I'm already 'breaking the law' by being a transgenic!" Max bit out.

Logan just stood there, speechless. "How can you think that? Us, humans, are better than you give us credit for." He looked at her meaningfully. "I have the cure. _That's_ why I was here." He glared at me, and looked around the derelict room with disgust. "We can finally be together... and you just _yell_ at me," he finished reproachfully.

But Max just looked at him. "What do you mean _us _humans? You don't think _we're humans?"_

"Well, I know _you _are." He looked at me reluctantly. "Even Alec. But you gotta admit...The Lizard-Guy isn't exactly advertising 'Homo sapien'."

Oh. My. God. It was dead silent.

Then Max spoke, "Leave the cure. But _get the hell out!_'

"But Max--"

"Get out!" She took a paperweight (a new one) and held it up threateningly.

"I LOVE YOU!" The paperweight dropped with a clang. Thankfull, it didn't shatter. I had the foresense to get a titanium one.

She just looked at him disbelievingly. "I don't think you even know what love is, Logan." She sighed_. "_When I first broke up with you, I convinced myself that it was because there was no cure and it would be better this way. I also convinced myself that this was just all temporary; I mean, we're _meant _to be together, right?"

"Of _course_, hon—"

"I'm not finished. But then as time went on and I got more into thinking, I realized something; I'm—_was _in denial...but not anymore. We're _not over because we never were _together_ in the first place." _The last words were met with stone-cold silence. No one moved, or even dared to breathe. Logan, though, was hyperventilating. I could see his vein on his neck pulsating and sense his anger coming out in waves.

"You _bitch!_"

Okay, I'll admit _that _was unexpected. Also unexpected was the response that it seemed to instill in me: pure, unadulterated anger. How _dare _that s.o.b call Max a bitch? Just as I was about to blur toward him, I felt a strong hand restraining me from behind. I looked back; it was Zane.

"I want to kill him, too. But this is Max's fight, not ours," he whispered in a low tone. His words were logical. But that didn't mean I had to be happy about it.

"I don't want us to say things we both will regret... I think it's best you leave." The words were harsh but Max's eyes were unrelenting.

He still shook with anger, but it was slowly dissipating as the seconds, and the silence, dragged on. Composing himself, he marched out of T.C, head held high.

I motioned for Zane to give Max and me a moment. He went obligingly.

"You all right, Max?" I tried to keep my voice as gentle as possible when all I really wanted to do was hug her until the end of time. She looked up at me, eyes watery. That's it. Without another word, I took her in my arms and she held on for dear life. There were no tears, only a sigh that seemed to come from within her soul and carry with it all her burdens. I stroked her hair with my fingers.

After a while she spoke. At first, I'd thought she was going to talk about Logan, but she surprised me once again. "Question is: Are _we _alright, Alec?"

I was about to say yes when she blurted, "I'm sorry for all the things I said. Logan was right; I _am _a bitch." She looked so sad and desolate that I'd have done _anything_ for a smile, even the teeniest one.

I stared at her intently. "You're are _not _a bitch. Well, at least not _always_." She gave a tiny smile and my heart leaped.

"Look, I know you're sorry and I forgive you...So how about we get outta here and go bug Mole?" She grinned. 'Hark the herald angels sing...'

"Thanks, Alec." And with that said, we strolled hand in hand out of the room.

A/N: Okay... I know most of you r probably wondering: What is the dealio w/ the whole Logan scene? Well, it's cuz although I don't necessarily _hate _logan, he's not my fave character so I wanted to get him out of the picture...This was the only way I could think of getting him _out _without resorting to death. Chances are this is his last appearance. I promise I'll be more informative in the nxt chapters... Also it's spring break so that's a lot of time to make up for my shamefully long absence. bows head in shame Aaaaanyway, I'M SORRY!


	5. Chapter 5

**disclaimer: i don't own dark angel**

**Chapter five:**

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The endless beat of the clock seemed to mock me. I sighed. Who knew being the undisputed leader of a superior race could be so…well, _boring_?

I mean, you'd think there'd be more action going on but putting aside the occasional heist and the familiar slaying, all that's left is paperwork and research. _Lots and lots _of researching. I heard someone approaching. Finally! 5…4…3…2…1…and:

"Hey, Max!" It was Alec. Ironically, his voice was the cheeriest thing I've heard all day. Of course, he couldn't know this. That would defy everything I've worked so hard for.

I fixed my face into a frown, albeit a not very convincing one. "I was _concentrating_, you know."

"Pshhh! Yeah, right! I could sense your boredom a mile away!"

"You could _sense my boredom?_" My tone betrayed amusement beneath the disbelief.

"Uhuh. I have ESPN."

I couldn't help it; I cracked up laughing. I knew he was just being stupid on purpose and I was touched by his concern.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Logan left this for you before he made his dramatic exit," he said with false nonchalance. But his eyes expressed his worry.

Those words brought a little pang through my heart. My powers had made me a little more emotional than I'd hoped. I was about to throw a _paperweight _at him for chrissakes! It was titanium, too! 'Although,' I couldn't help adding, 'I don't regret it for an instant.' Contrary to what I'd said, I did have feelings for the man. I might have even loved him at one point. But it wasn't strong enough to withstand his ego.

"What is it?"

Alec straightened, looking detached. "It's the cure."

I swallowed. Great.

I held out my hand. Gingerly, he gave me a glass vial with some blue liquid inside of it. It was very pretty actually. The cerulean liquid, which were the exact color me of Zach's eyes, seemed to contain swirling miniature diamonds, all in all creating a mesmerizing effect. The vial itself was also quite striking, with its gently curving neck and intricate design. Yet, behold so much beauty, I felt a little niggling in my gut, a distinctly doubtful feeling.

He must have felt my fear, because he took my hand in his. His warm palm sent waves of comfort throughout my body.

"At least it came in a pretty package."

I just rolled my eyes at his reponsed and dragged him out to H.Q towards Luke.

"Mornin' Max!" Luke called out as soon as he saw me approach him.

"Afternoon," Zane corrected him, appearing from my rear. I gave him a big grin, and hugged him tightly. He ruffled my hair affectionately. "Hey, little sis'."

I blurred to stand behind him swifttly delivered a kick to the backs of his knees, effectively causing him lay sprawled on the floor.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" I beamed.

"You know better than to mess with your _little sis_." Alec's decidedly smug voice penetrated my ears and smirked. I was about to thank him when he continued.

"Everyone knows only _I'm _the one that can kick her pretty booty."

I turned to him deliberately, my hips thrust to the side and a finger waggling.

"Come here, and prove it."

* * *

**Ames P.O.V**: 

"Was Phase One of Project Deceit successful?"

"Yes, sir," came the Ulf's curt reply. The young familiar found murder a bit too entertaining but he did get the job done.

"Good. You are dismissed."

Only when the doors closed with a soft thud, did I let my eyes betray their weariness. I did feel some relief; the plan was in motion and 452 was getting closer to her death, eliminating some unneeded stress on my part. I pushed down my regret and feelings of recrimination; 452 had stolen my son and given him to Sandeman.

I was just about to relax into my chair when the transgenic bodyguard burst into the room, knocking the door of its hinges. Seconds later, Sandeman, himself, strolled through the doorframe, whistling a lively tune.

"Hello, son."

"I'm not your son," I snapped and glancing pointedly at the useless plank of wood, continued, "and you're paying for that door."

He cackled. The unpleasant noised filled my ears, driving me insane. But I forced myself to stay sane for the sake of my son.

"Project Deceit was successful."

Sandeman grinned maniacally. "As if there was any doubt. You'd think that for a supposed _genius_, that man would learn to find more reliable sources."

I shrugged. "I guess all that's left is for us to fly to Hong Kong and wait a couple of days."

He cackled again and I strove desperately to reign in my temper. But then I realized something. "Why can't we just capture her on the way there?"

His eyes hardened. "Because we can't. Alone, she has the power to bring down the entire familiar race, just think what she can do with a handful of guards."

"The Phalanx happen to be—"

"Even your _elite_ aren't good enough to take her down. _I_ would know. _I_ created her, in case you forgot. When the scientists sedate 452 then, and _only_ then, can we seize her. Then after 452 is disposed of, you can finally be able to conquer Terminal City."

I took special notice of the pride in his voice. Hmmm. "Why are you helping me again?"

He glared at me condescendingly. "How many times do we have to get over this? I was young and naïve; I thought I could create a race more superior than our own. But I know now that that is a mistake. She is reckless and impossible to control. She would probably kill me after she's killed _you _and the rest of that damned cult. Besides," his eyes glowed in glee, "you're paying me remember? Fifteen million dollars, a safe passage to Greece _and _a sworn testimony to the Covenant of my death so they can stop hunting me. A measly amount compared to the return of your son and 452, which would guarantee you an instant promotion into the Council, and even the Phalanx if you wish it."

My dubiousness disappeared. He was right; it was a fair trade. I had no reason to doubt his intentions.

* * *

**Max's P.O.V:**

I cracked my knuckles and rolled my head a few times along with my shoulders. Alec, meanwhile, was bouncing on his toes in anticipation of the fight. When I'd challenged Alec, I hadn't realized the entire transgenic race was listening. I was kidding, too. But then I thought, why not? I needed to de-stress, anyway. It took a lot of goading and spoofing to trick Alec into a battle but seeing him now without his shirt on and his muscles flexing, made it all worthwhile.

"Are you scared, Max?" His voice was mocking.

"Yeah…of beating you to death."

"Aw, shucks. You're telling me you would mind me dead?"

"Of course, who would be my punching bag?"

He tensed at first, but then relaxed after seeing the twinkle in my eyes. Bored, I feinted to the right just to see what he would do. Then, a remarkable thing happened: Alec blurred and I could still _see _him. In fact, it was all in slow motion.

First, he was running towards me (it actually looked like he was walking) and then he reared his fist back with the intention of hitting me in the chest. I guess he wanted to end the fight early. But I fell back into a backbend easily and proceeded to do a back handspring while hooking my legs around his waist, using the momentum to pull him off the ground. I twisted at the last second to face him. Both of my hands locked his together, while he laid face first on the floor.

I had brought my feet to land before his body, effectively cushioning his fall. Hmmm. I guess something good could out of a lightning bolt. Hold on. Crap. I hadn't told anyone, except for Dix and only out of necessity, about my newfound abilities. I don't even know _why. _

Oh yeah, so they wouldn't think me more of a freak than they already did. I was going to tell Alec but after everything that's happened, I forgot. Well, here's my opportunity. Speaking of Alec, my position was instilling unwelcome sensations in my body._Get your head in the game, soldier!_

But my musings had given Alec enough opportunity for counterattack. He got his hands out of my hold and twisted so that he was facing the ceiling instead of the ground. He then head-butted me.

I jumped off of him quickly, bringing a hand to my nose. It was starting to bleed and it hurt like a mother. But the pain disappeared as quickly as it had come. Apparently, I'd healed myself. Cool. That would have taken at least a few of hours for the cartilage to repair itself post-lightning. Luckily, my hand covered the bleeding and no one noticed the blood. I lighting-blurred to the corner where I took out a piece of cloth and wiped my hands on it, even having time to dump it into a nearby the trash can.

On my way back, time was still on stop mode. I had blurred so fast that no one even noticed me gone. Except for Alec. He was looking at me like he'd seen a ghost. I smirked and he shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. _Don't worry, Alec. There'll be time for explanations later._

"Max! Max! Max!"

"Alec! Alec! Alec!"

Simultaneously, we grinned at each other. It was endearing to hear that much support but it was also as much of a nuisance. My hearing had increased to incredible sensitivity and the shouts were like hundreds of cannonballs going off at once. My head was starting to pound achingly. I was about to lightning-blur over to him and end the fight when footsteps near the entrance caught my attention. Someone was coming. The rhythm was unfamiliar (having uber-hearing had me noticing little thing like these) and much to even and equally spaced for any of the transgenics in the room; being out of Manticore had made them a bit more relax.

Everyone had sensed my distraction and the noise level ceased to silence. Well, as silent as it can get.

A dirty-blond haired young man with impressive build and a face worthy of a transgenic fashion magazine, if there ever was one, appeared.

He was nonplussed even at the face of the hundreds of curious transgenics surrounding him.

I cleared my throat. Guess the fight would end early. Not that I mind; it was getting boring and it would cause unwanted suspicion.

"Hey. This, as you know is Terminal City. Before I welcome you, show me your barcode."

He nodded and dutifully turned around and lifted up some of his hair, revealing a barcode.

"Welcome, 667."

_Ephialtes._

The word came from nowhere. It could almost have passed for a random thought.

"Please, call me Ephialtes." My jaw dropped.

Author's Note: Alright, I have the entire story planned out already. I don't think anyone's every thought of a plot line like it before. I slaved for weeks but I finally got something original! Okay, I put a lot of clues in there so you should be able to guess who Esphialtes really is... hopefully. Also, I think I kind hinted a little about the 'evil plan.' But it's not as transparent as i make it sound...Sandeman has a _lot_ of hidden agendas as does his little assistant. As for the cure, max couldn't take it this chapter cuz then it'd reveal too much...(that's another clue)

Also, she can blur that fast bec. if transgenics can do it wicked fast than she can do it even faster. she's a hybrid for crying out loud! oops im saying 2 much: )


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel or any of it's contents. I do own Ephialtes, though.

And a special thanks to the generous reviews:

FemmePhantom

djonie

pepper2bb

I was pretty disappointed w/ the last chapter...so I decided to write another one! Okay i hope you guys like it!

**Alrright ppl here's Chapter Six:**

**Max's P.O.V**:

Did I imagine it? I must have. Yet something—my instincts most probably, kept telling me that I didn't. Or maybe it's just mere coincidence. I'm sure people think, 'Ephialtes,' almost everyday, right? Uhuh. Yep, still the Queen of Denial. I decided to push it to the back of my mind; it wasn't something to stress over.

"I'm guessing you're X-5?"

"As X-5 as you," he answered, giving me a knowing look.

I swear, I think my heart just skipped a beat. What did he mean by that? Does he know? Everyone had their eyes trained on me; now was not the time to freak out. Huh. Nice choice of words. Paranoia. That's all there is to it.

"I'll show you to your new home," I said after a moment of indecision. "It doesn't exactly advertise '4-stars' but it's better than a 10' by 10' concrete prison."

He smiled politely but his eyes remained alert and calculating. But this was no unusual thing. Even now, no one's completely let down his or her guard, including myself.

I turned towards the rest of the transgenics. "I guess this signals the end of the fight. I expect you all to welcome Ephialtes." My gaze zeroed in on Cecile and Genoa who were giving Ephialtes what to them, I'm sure, were considered to be seductive looks. I spared a glance at him. He looked unaffected and even a little annoyed. My respect for him immediately escalated.

"Come on," I called to him, nodding to the direction of the back door.

On our way out, Alec caught my arm. His gentle but firm grip was oddly comforting. "Nice moves there, Maxie. Where'd you learn to fight like that?" His eyes were probing. I sent Ephialtes a quick look, signaling for Alec to push this exchange back to a later time.

He gave me a curt nod before disappearing off to hang with Mole.

"I'll look over the police report and try to find any _familiar _findings," he called over his shoulder.

I let out a breath of relief; at least I had delayed what was sure to be an awkward conversation. I started walking again towards a dilapidated building that was once a popular inn. The only source of light was a lone lamppost about 500 yards away. Dix and Anton had installed it a couple of days after Freak Nation been born to bring some light into the darkness around us.

I looked behind me. Ephialtes was a couple feet back, assessing his surroundings. Not that there was much to assess. Equally run-down commercial buildings encompassed the ruin that contained his new home, along with dozens of trash littering the streets.

"So, you like it so far?"

"It's...different."

"Hmmm. I'm detecting a lot of enthusiasm on your part."

"And a lot of sarcasm on yours."

I admit; I'm pretty impressed. This boy's got a functioning brain.

After climbing several staircases, we arrived in front of doorframe. Note that I say _doorframe, _and not _door._ But the list was just starting.

The entire room _reeked_. And I don't mean rotten eggs kind of stinky. I'm talking about better-get-some-morphine-60-times-worse-for-people-with-already-heightened-smell kind of reeking. There was an impressive amount of fungi growing in the room and several hundred other unmentionables.

"Uhhh..."

"The name's Max."

"Right. Well, _Max_, I love the place."

I gave him disbelieving look. He was sheepish.

"It's far better than my previous...dwelling."

I raise a brow. "What was it? A _box_?"

The apartment had sturdy enough walls and there was a lot of space. The kitchen still contained its original appliances like a dishwasher, sink, and a funky-looking fridge. The living room housed a functioning lamp and a smelly but comfy sofa. But the advantages pretty much ended there. The bedroom had a putrid scent, there were lots of creatures that housed themselves in every crevice of the apartment, and, of course, there was the fungus.

"Nope. Worse: it was the sidewalk." I gaped at him and he shrugged, looking down.

"Well," I said resignedly, "guess I'll leave now so that you can do...whatever you do."

He nodded. "Thanks for everything."

"Hey, you're family now; we look out for one another here at T.C."

For a moment, something flickered in his eyes. Was it regret? Fear? Uncertainty? I couldn't tell. It happened so quickly; I almost thought I'd imagined it.

"Oh, and I almost forgot. Some guys named Alec and Mole will be here early tomorrow morning to give you running water, electricity, and some disinfectant And a mattress." I paused. "You alright with sleeping on a futon?"

"Like I said, it's better than concrete."

I beamed at him encouragingly. "I really think you'll like it here, Ephialtes."

He gave me a forced smile. "I have no doubt."

I was about to leave when he spoke again. "You smell the fungi, I trust?"

I froze and turned around slowly, forcing myself to look indifferent. "What?" It turns out I hadn't misinterpreted anything; he knew.

"I heard you sniffing around. Then, I saw that paperweight from a window." My worst fears confirmed.

My eyes hardened and I could feel my nails digging into my palm. "You were _spying _on me?"

He shook his head. "I was scoping out the place first, making sure it was safe before I made my home here. Standard procedure. No one noticed me; everyone had jobs to do. I just happened to glance up your window and--"

"How can no one no _notice _you? We have pretty tight security!" My initial doubts about him were dwindling every time he opened his mouth to talk sense, but it never hurt to make sure.

"I was Special Ops."

"Oh." I made a mental note to talk security with Mole later. "But still..."

"Don't worry; I won't tell anyone." The pressure around my heart decreased.

"What makes you think I care?"

He laughed. "You're not very good at lying, Max."

I was stunned. There was no way around this guy. "You don't think it's freaky?"

"Hell, yeah. But it's also pretty cool. Besides, it's not very unusual. You remember Psy-Ops, right? Plus, you could beat up anyone now..._Except me_," he added, almost as an afterthought. I was about to ask how he knew about the fight but then I remembered; he was Special Ops. He would have deduced as much the moment he went through the entrance. I opted to roll my eyes instead; guys are all the same.

"Well, I'm gonna thank you since you shouldn't have been spying in the first place..."

He smirked.

"...But I'm going to anyway. So, thanks. Just make sure you don't tell anyone."

With that, I began my slow descent down the stairs. I had plenty of time to think. Maybe Ephialtes wasn't so bad, after all. He was the first person to know and he hadn't bowled over. Maybe I would be able to tell everyone without having them panic. But this weird feeling in my gut concerning Ephialtes wouldn't go away, no matter how reliable he deemed to be. It's probably just my imagination. I swept the thought to the back of my mind.

My new powers weren't as much of a problem as I once thought. Ephialtes really gave me a new perspective on things. They were actually a real kick to have around. Now, I can sneak up on people and scare 'em. The whole mind reading thing is pretty creepy but it doesn't come up very often; I can't even control it yet. Dix advised me to try some mediating. It was supposed to help me concentrate. But it's not nearly as bad as my telekinetic powers. One time, Mole got me so pissed a nearby light bulb shattered. Good thing everyone passed it as being overheated. But, of course, I knew better.

Also, I noticed I've gotten so much stronger and more agile. Take the blurring incident, for example. I really needed to tell Alec about all this. Despite what Ephialtes had said, I've never heard of a lightning bolt with a superwoman side effect.

That's when I realized something; Ephialtes might have known about my physical prowess but he shouldn't have known about my heightened senses. He was probably just taking a wild guess; I hadn't exactly been inconspicuous with my sniffing. Being Special Ops, he's probably already aware of the whole lightning bolt incident, too; transgenics _are _known to gossip.

After taking a detour to Mole's apartment and telling him about Ephialtes and tighter security--leaving out the part about my powers, of course, I found myself standing outside Alec's door. Based on the noise, he was in the shower singing some pre-pulse song...and he had a really bad roach and rat problem. I decided to wait until he was done and dressed.

_Who am I kidding_? I'm just stalling. Before I could think twice, I grabbed the door handle and rushed through.

Pop!

Whoops. In my haste, I accidentally yanked off the doorknob. This was not my day.

The shower had stopped running. Then, Alec appeared wearing nothing but a blue towel.

I swallowed heavily, my gaze drawn to his incredibly sculpted chest. He was silhouetted brilliantly behind the bathroom's fluorescent lighting. I could see individual water droplets rolling slowly from his chest down past his belly button and onward until it disappeared behind the blue towel to what was underneath. I gulped.

"Uhh, Max?"

I looked up at Alec. He was breathing heavily and I could hear the fast beating of his heart, smell the musky scent that was so uniquely his. And then I saw his eyes.

When he's mischievous and feeling light, the golden flecks of his eyes seem to twinkle, emphasized against the green background. When he's serious, they're a beautiful intense green. If he's angry, then his eyes get darker. The green and golden flecks blend together to create and almost brownish hue. But now...I've only seen this color once, during that fateful night, before the thunderbolt.

What I see now, I could only describe as primal. His eyes seemed to glow gold. That beautiful, intense green was completely erased and his pupils were dilated to amazing proportions. All in all, it had the effect of two shining suns, smack-dab in the middle of his face. His perfect face. From the corner of my eye, I could see one of his throw pillows beginning to levitate.

That brought my senses crashing down. I cleared my throat loudly and he jumped about a feet back, looking startled. He recovered admirably well.

"Hey, Max. See something you like?" He waggled his eyebrows.

My face flushed heatedly and I could feel my tempter start to rise. Apparently, not _all _my senses had come crashing down. Without warning, the throw pillow I'd seen earlier darted through the air to collide with his face. Okay, too late to turn back now.

The pillow dropped to the floor soundlessly. Tick, tock, tick, tock. There it was again. Mocking. Oh, the irony of it all.

For a minute, that was the only sound in the room. Finally, Alec spoke.

"How'd you do it?"

Those few words; so incredibly simple. But it was a lot more complicated than it appeared. My previous insecurities had returned.

First off, I'd _just _started to accept myself as a transgenic. Then, everyone had only started to accept _me. _I mean, to them I'm just this freakishly strong part shark-cat-human, everyday girl. Around people that are exactly like me, it's easier to be myself.

Then, boom!

One thunderbolt and I'm suddenly different from everyone else. I can run faster, endure harsher conditions, and move objects from across the room! Sure, Psy-Ops soldiers were possibly capable of such things (and familiars, but I refuse to acknowledge that) but I've never heard of an X-5 turned P.O soldier through a _lightning bolt. _How can anyone else accept me when I can't even tolerate _myself_?

I took a deep breath. But I'm not alone. Circumstances are different. Now, I have Alec. And I needed to trust him. Plus, Ephialtes already knew.

"I guess you saw me blurring, huh?"

"Yeah." His voice was steady and his heartbeat was normal. I took this as a good sign.

"Well, the thunderbolt kind of had some..." I paused, searching for the right words, "...interesting side effects."

"Like god-like powers?"

"Not exactly."

"Does this have _anything _to do with the broken paperweight and the shattered light bulb?"

I looked up at him, surprised.

He only shrugged. "Contrary to popular opinion, I'm not stupid."

"I know, Alec. I know."

Suddenly, the weight around me had lifted and I suddenly found it easier to breath.

"Well, the _side effects _included heightened senses, speed, agility, and endurance. How's that for starters?"

"Don't forget the weird mind-powers," he said matter-of-factly. But his eyes twinkled gold, belying his seriousness.

"Oh, yeah. The 'weird mind powers.' Thanks, Alec. Way to be supportive." Without even realizing it, we had fallen into our comfortable banter.

He refused to disappoint. "Well, you know me, Max. Super-supportive and all."

"And then there's me turned super_woman_."

He grinned and his eyes turned mockingly serious. "You were _always_ superwoman to _me_, Max."

"Aw, shucks. It's a Wal-Mart moment."

He burst out laughing.

"What'd I do?"

He took a couple of moments to compose himself. "It's _Hallmark,_ not Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is a grocery store."

I could feel the color rushing to my cheeks, and I ducked my head. But then I started cracking up, too. It felt so good to let loose. Our laughter rang throughout the rest of the night.

I could feel my spirits start to soar. It's amazing what a couple minutes with Alec would do to me.

It turns out things wouldn't be so bad, after all.

A/N: well, whaddya think? please, please, PLEASE review! it really keeps me going, y'know? plus it tells me what i'm doing wrong and all that jazz so i can improve on what i nd t improve! plus it makes me feel really, really good...please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Aight here's to all my favorite people!

Kelly

purplebunnywabbit

Djonie

FemmePhantom

Jorie

Peppet2bb

Sadly, Shellybelly23 was mysteriously absent from the list…sniffle, sniffle. I just feel so unloved. L

Anyway, here's **CHAPTER 7**:

I sat back on Alec's ratty, but oddly comfortable, couch; totally at ease. Somewhere along the night, we had stopped joking around and moved on to more serious matters, namely, Logan.

I'm talking to _Alec_ about _Logan_Strange role reversal but definitely not surprising. We _had _gotten pretty close.

"So," he started from his position on the other side of the couch, with both my feet on his lap, "you really over him, huh?"

His tone was nonchalant but his eyes were constantly shifting, emphasizing his curiosity. I had to wonder why but kept it to myself.

"_Been_ over him."

My response was short and yet it expressed so much; my denial—no _our _denial (Logan's and myself), acknowledgement of past mistakes, and a message that clearly stated, 'I'm ready to move on.'

He nodded in understanding and the light from the bathroom illuminated his face, giving it an aura of mystery.

"How'd you guys meet, anyway?"

My eyes lit up at the memory. "I was low on cash, so I decided to get my cat suit out of the closet—"

"Wait a minute! You _stole _from—"

I silenced him with a look.

"For you information, _Alec, _like I said, 'I was low on cash.'" He was still astonished. "_Besides_," I continued forcibly, "it's not like he didn't get it _back_. But _continuing_ _on_ with the story, Logan caught me—"

Another disbelieving look.

"Well," I stuttered in a so-not-defensive manner, "I was getting cocky. Survived 10 years on the run; didn't think an _ordinary_ could catch me. Plus, he had a state-of-the-art security system."

He smirked. "I didn't say anything, Max. It was _all_ you."

"You want me to tell you the story or not?"

He gestured with his hands for me to continue.

I cleared my throat. "Anyway, he caught me and I got away…But then it turned out he'd been researching about Manticore and suspected me as one of the famed transgenics. So he tracked me down, met me at Jam Pony, and invited me to dinner."

"And of course you said yes?" Alec questioned with a raised brow.

I rolled my eyes. "He told me it would compensate for the whole 'stealing thing.' So, he takes me to his place and gets me talking. While I'm distracted, he gets a look at my barcode, and somehow talks me into staying. End of Story."

"End of story…" He repeated, incredulousness plainly written across his features.

"End of story," I told him resolutely.

We were quiet for a moment, each of us left to our own thoughts. After some time, Alec spoke, "Tell me something about how it was before the escape."

It wasn't a statement as much as it was a question. Unlike Logan, Alec understood how it was for us transgenics, to live in constant vigilance and fear.

After careful consideration, I nodded in acquiescence and began to tell my tale.

"I was the youngest one. Because of this, I guess you could say I was the favorite. Jondy was second youngest; that was partly the reason why we were so close. She and Ben were my constant companions. Zack was the leader of the group and he was familiar with everyone…but we had a different relationship." I paused, searching for the right words. "He was my guardian, if you will. Not that Zane, Krit, or Seth weren't protective, too. It's just that with Zack, it was more intense, less duty as it was need." I grew silent as a distant and bittersweet memory came and claimed me.

**Flashback: (A/N: this is pretty long so I though italics might be a little inconvenient for you. sorry for the interlude)**

"Maxie! Maxie!" I whipped my head around, towards the direction Seth's voice. I was just on my way to the Mess Hall and I could feel my stomach protesting as I stopped to wait for Seth.

"Hurry up!" I called to him as he walked in a pace that would do snails everywhere proud.

He only grinned and proceeded, if possible, to walk even slower.

I glared at him and was about to continue walking when his voice came again.

"Hold on, Maxie! You _gottta_ wait!"

I glared at him fiercely. Finally, after a couple of seconds (he started running as soon as he saw me turn around) Seth arrived.

"I got a surprise for you," he said tauntingly, eyes alight with mischief.

I just stood there, glowering. "This better be good."

He nodded enthusiastically, which I found quite annoying.

"It is. Come on!" He gestured in the direction of the woods, opposite from the Mess Hall. Right away, I conveyed my objections.

"No way, Seth," I told him stubbornly. "I'm hungry." As if on cue, my stomach growled in protest. "See?"

He pouted and gave me the puppy-dog look. I deliberately turned away, knowing full well that I'd succumb if I didn't.

"Look at me, Maxie." He sounded so desperate that I _had _to turn around. Big mistake. His green eyes widened in the most adorable way and his hands were clasped in front of him in the most sincere manner. "Please?"

I sighed in defeat, disgusted with myself. "This better be quick," I griped at him.

He only laughed and took my hand, dragging me into the woods with him.

The branches clawed at me and mosquitoes were constantly swarming around me, in hopes of a good feed. But my reflexes were too quick, my smacks too accurate. They didn't stand a chance.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, we arrived in front of a clearing, where a lake sat waiting, incandescent in the opaque light of dusk. It was glassy and undisturbed, perfection waiting to be marred. I couldn't believe we hadn't found it earlier.

Seth seemed to read my mind. "This is a totally unexplored part of Manticore. We're not in training grounds anymore. It's actually a hunting ground for the other transgenics."

I looked at him confused. "You know," he waved his arms around, "where older X's hunt. Sometimes the trainers even use it, too."

This time, my hackles rose and refused to back down. But I kept my voice low, just in case. "You mean there might be other _animals _lurking out here and here we are, defenseless?"

He snorted derisively. "We're genetically-engineered, killing machines, Max. We're hardly defenseless." But I sensed an underlying awareness in his voice and his eyes shifted around the woods in careful attention.

_Snap. _

I distinctly heard the sound of a twig breaking and I instinctively crouched to a fighting stance. Beside me, Seth did the same. We were deathly quiet, our senses working in overdrive.

My ears honed in and placed it to somewhere along our right. I signaled for Seth to cover my back as I approach the source of noise.

Suddenly, a huge Grizzly emerged from the tangle of bushes, not 15 feet in front of me.

I froze, rooted to the spot. Oh, my God. I could feel fear bubbling up inside me. We could disable a bomb in under 10 seconds, disarm a man in even less, but we were not trained to be nature experts…and I definitely did not want to be the next Timothy Treadwell of our generation!

In fact, if it weren't for Trainer Banns, who'd shown us pictures of his kills, we wouldn't even know what a bear was. Apparently, that type of information was unnecessary for 9-year old would-be assassins.

I looked at Seth fearfully, who was signaling for me to blur. We were about to, too, when a second bear appeared. We smelled the air; it was mating season.

Oh, crap.

We didn't know a whole lot about nature, but Trainer Banns _did_ give us a crash course on it once, after he'd gone on one of his many hunting expeditions. All we knew was this; animals get territorial and very aggressive during mating season, when their hormones were at their peak. Seth stood protectively in front of me.

I took a calming breath. We were faster than bears, right? I signaled for us to blur-climb towards the nearest tree, about 10 yards away. Damn this clearing. 3...2...1!

The bears were unaffected, just glancing around, trying to find us. Pretty soon, they were going to be able to detect our scents. Simultaneously, Seth and I jumped down from our perch and proceeded to run like crazy out of there. We'd been running for several torturous minutes when a jolting shock shook us from head to toe. We lay there on the ground, spasms running through our bodies.

It wasn't until some time later that we were able to get back towards the barracks. By then, it was completely dark and it was time to bunk down. We had hoped to arrive unnoticed but there was no such luck

Zack was jumping down our throats—well, Seth's throat, before one of us could even take a breather. Looking at a nearby mirror, I could see why.

We were a mess; twigs and various other unmentionables clung to my hair and my clothes were covered in dirt, just as my face was. Seth was in even worse condition. He had scrapes all along his body. But Zack didn't seem to care. All he saw was me…And then he directed all blame on Seth, not even stopping to consider that it was _my _fault. Of course, it never was. But still. He could have asked. By then, the rest of our unit had woken up and were looking warily at each other. Obligated, I put a hand to Zack's shoulder and fastened my doe-eyes on his.

"Could we please go to sleep?" I asked him using my most adorable voice.

Just like the mosquitoes from the forest, he didn't stand a chance. When morning came, the last night's incident was forgotten, though Zack still never fully trusted Seth alone with me ever again.

I never told a single soul about what _really _happened that night.

**End Flashback**

"So you never told _anyone_?"

Alec's pleased voice transported me to the present. I hadn't even realized I was talking the entire time.

"Nope, not even Ben and Jondy."

He was smiling, suddenly turning thoughtful.

"Did anything out of the ordinary happen after that night?"

That was an abrupt change.

"No…" My voice trailed off. Then my transgenic memory kicked into gear.

"…yeah. My brother, Seth, and I beat Zack in hand-to-hand combat."

His eyes widened and I could understand why. X5-599 was _legendary_, even now, in every aspect of military training. Then his eyes darkened in dawning.

"Max," he began excitedly, "did you and Seth experience any…mood swings during the days that followed?"

I racked my brain. "Oh, yeah. I remember Jondy accusing us of having PMS." My smile turned into a frown. "Why? What's so important about that?"

But he ignored me. "During or after the escape, did something extreme happen to you?"

"Except for the seizures and then falling into the ice? Not really."

He smiled victoriously. "Thought so."

I was impatient and determined to show it. "Alec, what the hell are you talking about?"

He only smiled again, his eyes dancing; he was _clearly _enjoying himself. I could feel my anger beginning to build up. Turns out my hormones weren't as controlled as I'd thought. Realizing this, Alec immediately stopped smiling and put up a placating hand.

"Whoa, Max. Chill out. I'll explain everything."

I felt myself simmer down and the air wasn't so heavy anymore. I smiled at Alec. "Go ahead."

He blinked and shook himself. "Umm..."

"You were about to exlain something?" I waited expectantly.

"Oh, right. Well, see I'm sensing a pattern here. You were shocked by an electric fence and you actually beat 59—I mean, Zack, and developed PMS. In addition, you were able to survive the ice _and_ escape even after you got your seizures." I scowled at him but he was undeterred, "Then, you were hit by a lightning bolt and you suddenly turned superwoman and got P---ahem, _moody_."

"Wait, you're saying that every time I get shocked, powers appear? But that can't be right since, A: I only beat Zack once and that was it. And, B: I was shocked by that electric fence a couple of _months_ before the escape."

"The bigger the shock, the longer the effects."

"So, you're saying one lightning bolt caused a mutation in my _entire_ molecular structure, therefore, inducing the superwoman side-effect?"

"Well, when you put it in _that _way—"

I cut him off. "Besides, other transgenics have been tasered before and nothing like this has ever happened to _them_."

"Maybe you're different."

That unnerved me. His theory basically just proved my insecurities right. But I shrugged it off, burying it deep inside my heart and to the back of my mind. "Just _let it go_." My words left no room for argument._ Calm down, Max_.

He was considerably less excited but his eyes remained thoughtful. "You got to admit, it's an interesting theory, though."

I smirked at him. "Yeah, interesting _theory._"

He rolled his eyes at me. "I heard you loud and clear."

I let out a discreetly relieved sight. Things were back to normal.

I looked at the clock; it was 1:30. "I better go. Plus, I told Esphialte that we'd be at his apartment early today to help him settle in."

He groaned. "Why? Why, oh _God_, why _me_?"

I felt my mouth turn up into a smile. "It's because you're a dependable, loving, and not to mention, dazzlingly dashing friend who desperately tries to be a better person despite other people's recriminations."

For once, he was speechless.

I just grinned at him. "Don't worry, I'll let myself out."

"Oh, and Alec," I added right before I shut the door, "Mole and I'll see you there somewhere around eight…"

"…so don't forget to bring breakfast."

I closed the door just before a shoe was hurled my way.

A/N: yes, I know…it's just a filler but I wanted to write a little M/A segment there…

**A/N: Please Review! Ideas are welcome and greatly appreciated or even just a simple 'hi' will suffice! Just please ReViEw!!!!! **


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel or any of its contents. Ephialte, howerver, I do own.

I'd like to specially thank these people for the support:

purplebunnywabbit

djonie

FemmePhantom

mcs

kelly

I hope you guys are feeling the love? If anyone else wants to feel the love, then I've got a mighty clever idea for you! REview!

Well here's** Chapter 8**:

Max P.O.V:

The apartment was completely dark...and empty. When I'd left Alec's, I was in high spirits. But now, looking at the inky blackness—well, as close to 'inky blackness' as you can get with revved-up-transgenic eyesight, I felt my buoyant mood start to dissipate. At times like these, I missed Original Cindy the most. Heck, I even miss Normal and Sketchy! What I'd give for another crappy day at Jam Pony, endlessly pedaling my bike and putting on a fake-assed smile. I mean, I can't even go out for a walk outside Terminal City's gates anymore. Alec had said something about exposure and White. Right: Ames and His Familiars. _That's_ why. I let out a sigh; I should have killed the bastard when I had the chance.

Terminal City had started out as a safe haven for transgenics. The home we never had. But lately…Lately it's turned into nothing more than a prison.

Instantly, I felt ashamed for having these thoughts.

Terminal City might not exactly be heaven and the pay sucks…But seeing my family together, anomalies and X's, for once in their lives, feeling something other than fear—and I dare hope; happiness, makes it all worthwhile.

For no particular reason, (except for the small issue of having shark DNA) sleep was definitely out of the question…

When in doubt, meditate.

With that in mind, I set out to find obtain the necessary materials; a pillow, a blanket, and a hairpin.

After laying down the blanket and setting the materials aside, I was finally ready.

'Alright, Max, relax.'

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. That much was easy.

'What do we need? Let's see; food, medical supplies, a sofa for Ephialtes, cigars for Mole—'

_Squeal!_

The mice were at it again. With great difficulty, I managed to block out all noise, such as leaking faucets and the occasional squeak of the building.

Hmmm. I wonder what Alec is doing right now…

_Snap out of it, soldier!_ _Relax already…_

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe iiiiiiiiin. Breeaathe oooooouuuut.

I felt the air, and the normally non-existent breeze, shrouding my body. I felt the hardness of the floorboard under the scratchy blanket. Ignoring the toxins, I managed to smell the crispiness of the night air. I've never felt more rejuvenated in all my life.

And then suddenly, there was…nothing.

I couldn't feel, sense, hear, or even _think_ of anything. In fact, I almost mistook myself as half-asleep at one point.

I don't know how long I sat there. The world seemed to come at a standstill. For the first time, in a long time, I was at peace with myself. No conflicted emotions and no stress. Just _nothing_.

And then all of a sudden, a cacophony of noise assaulted my eardrums. It was everywhere, overwhelming me. I could hear dogs barking and people snoring, many miles away from Terminal City.

"Vrrooom!" A motorcycle in the distance.

"Honk!" Sounded a horn. Discourteous people. Didn't they know that others might be sleeping? Seriously!

I opened my eyes; an oversight on my part, no pun intended.

A blinding flash of light _devastated_ my eyes!

It was the moon, I soon realized. My other senses were on fire, too! Suddenly, the putrid scent of toxins stung my nose, much stronger this time, making my eyes water. If I'd thought it was bad before, it was unbearable now. I put a hand in front of my eyes to shield it from the excruciating glare.

You can control this, Max!

Finding an improved sense of resolve, I opened my eyes slowly, giving my pupils time to adjust to the light and wishing I'd done this earlier. As for the nose…I painfully suffered the effects of the toxins. It's _bound_ to adjust in time. Ha! Famous last words.

But my ears! The noise was meshing together to create a most unpleasant disharmony.

_Focus_!

Breathe in, breathe out. I put all effort into breathing, paying heed to the rise and fall of my chest, the thumping of my heart.

There you go! This isn't so bad!

Yeah, sure…and the Roswell Incident was really _nothing_ more than a Weather Balloon with dummies.

After all, it's such a common occurrence for people to wake up one day and think, 'Hey! Let's put a bunch of plastic people on a balloon and see what happens!'

Now, I'm not sure how to explain this next part being that I don't even understand it myself…I kind of _willed _my ears to shut down—albeit not completely, and ease up on the sensitivity a little. It was surprisingly easy and not to mention effective.

Immediately, the barking dogs and the snoring people seemed to disappear. I let out an appreciative sigh.

My heart beat decreased. It was so unproblematic and outrageously simple to just get up and call it quits. Forget that this ever happened and somehow _ignore_ my hyped-up senses. But I needed to step up to the plate; professing indifference to my powers won't make them go away…or help things get any better. Instead, I picked up the hairpin and placed it on the center of my palm. If I can 'will' my ears to blockade the unnecessary clamor, then it'd be easy as hell to lift a hairpin!

I mentally pictured it levitating in the air before me…to no avail.

I tried again. And again. And again. Aghhh! This is soooo not working! I was getting frustrated. How can it be so hard to do this? I mean, I've had my powers for a couple of _days_ now…I _should_ be able to control it! I felt the feelings of helplessness and bitterness coming over me and, suddenly, I was mad.

Very mad.

And, surprise! The hairpin started to float in midair! At first, was just sitting on the middle of my palm, shaking. Then, unbelievably, it started to rise, slowly gaining speed.

Huh.

As my temper started to subside, it dropped back down to my palm.

Problem solved.

I repeated the process several times, recalling the precise moment when Logan had called my family freaks. The anger I'd felt was overpowering. The hairpin lifted up each time, getting higher and higher until it reached the ceiling.

But my powers were solely dependent on my emotions. That could prove to be inconvenient in the future. I had to find a way to control them without meditating for hours on end and infuriating myself.

Taking a calming breath, I concentrated on the black contraception before me.

I imagined billions and billions of atoms coming together to form a whole; different elements exposed to various degrees of temperature and pressure to shape the final product; a tiny, black hairpin.

So much complexity in such a miniscule and simple object, whose only purpose is to hold up, well, hair!

I dedicated myself wholly into raising it up. My breath was coming in short gasps and I could actually picture my face turning purple with concentration…and then _bam_!

A gust of power burst forth, unrestricted, from me and the hairpin started to soar! It continued to gain speed. Stop! It froze in midair, just a couple of feet from my head.

Now, hold it! Hold it there, Max! That's right, you can do it!

'Great,' I couldn't help thinking, 'I'm the freakin' commander of Terminal City, capable of telekinesis, and I can't even get my own damn _cheerleader_!

To think that I am capable of telekinetically moving objects! Amazing! I felt unstoppable, unbeatable…

The pin dropped.

Damn it! Oh, well.

I repeated the process again and again for several hours. I got so into it that I didn't even notice the sun rising. When I did--notice I mean, it was already 9:01. Whoops.

I hurriedly showered and got a new change of clothes. I blurred to Ephialte's apartment. I noticed that, contrary to what I'd guessed last night, the smell had not improved.

The good news was that my eyes were now capable of adjusting very well. Curious, I dilated my pupils a bit more…Shit! I fell to my knees, hands covering my eyes, as the I fully experienced the wrath of the unforgiving sun. Me and my feline tendencies.

Properly chastised, I resumed my super-blurring.

Milliseconds later (literally), I arrived at Ephialte's.

Lo and behold, the most beautiful sigh in the world! It was sitting innocently on the counter, surrounded by a beam of light coming froma nearby window. The smell was gloriously _delicious_. Definitely a welcome change. It wafted up my nostrils, making my stomach growl.

With predatory grace, I approached the counter and swiftly grabbed a Kirspy Kreme, stuffing it whole into my mouth. Mmmm…Muy Delicioso! I groaned in appreciation as the perfect combination of sugary icing and grease-fried, soft dough assaulted my taste buds. Only after my hunger was satiated, did I take a cursory glance around the apartment.

Mole was under the sink, a stream of superfluous curse words shooting from his mouth, and his cigar mysteriously absent. Alec was on the sofa, watching me intently. Our eyes caught and held.

"Apparently, 'eight-ish' was Max-speak for 9 o'clock." Ephialte's voice broke our connection.

"I was held up."

He nodded and said in a voice that led me to believe otherwise, "I believe you."

I scowled at him. And then I heard a strange sound…What was that? It sounded like a dead whale. No, more like a drowned beaver. Oh, I know! It's a beaver-whale hybrid, who drowned and is now, for obvious reasons, dead. I looked towards the direction of the noise…To find myself wronged once again.

There was no beaver/whale hybrid…

No, instead it was Mole… laughing. Simultaneously, we looked from him, to each other, and then back to him.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all," Alec intercepted smoothly.

Mole just shrugged and ducked his head back down under the sink.

I turned toward Alec. "Why aren't _you_ helping?"

"Clever observation there, Maxie. You see, _my_ job was to hook in the electricity."

"And you're done?"

He looked affronted. "Maxie, you _dare_ doubt my capabilities?"

I rolled my eyes. "Doubt? Of course, not…"

He smirked.

"…just _seriously_ suspect."

He clutched his heart in fake incense. "You cut me deep, Max. Real deep."

"Apparently, not deep enough; _you're_ still talking."

"Ah, well. Maybe next time," Ephialte put in for good measure.

My head whipped around, prepared to thank him for his efforts. But his expression stopped me. He was looking at Alec with something akin to mistrust…and his gaze was calculating, gradually turning satisfied. Like a man who's lost his all his lifesavings only to discover that's he's won the lottery.

His head turned, as if on slow motion, towards me and I recovered enough to give him a convincingly warm smile. He smiled back, all trace of previous emotion gone, to be replaced by a charming grin. I recollected myself; I needed to make sure he hadn't suspected something…if there's anything _to_ suspect. Who knows? It could be Aunt Paranoia paying me another visit.

"There's no wrong in hoping," I offered.

Mole grunted. "Here, here."

"Hey! Now the whole _gang's_ turned on me!"

I looked at Alec disbelievingly. "And you notice that _now_?"

He stuck out a tongue.

"Nice. Real mature, Alec."

I strolled over and nimbly sat atop the counter, which coincidentally placed me nearer to the donuts and, in turn, closer to Mole. A sacrifice I was willing to make.

"So, you guys need help in anything?"

Mole peeked out from under the counter. "Well, if you'd said that 2 hours ago, we might have had gone with a 'yes'…"

I kicked the space an inch from his head, putting a crack in the wood. Whoops. Forgot my own strength for a second there.

Mole looked at me strangely.

"What? I'm transgenic, so sue me."

I turned to Ephialte. "So, what'd you specialize in, anyway?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alec sit up in interest.

"Yeah, I don't recall seeing you before," Alec put in.

I gave him a sharp look and he shrugged.

Ephialte hesitated. "I was the Field Medic."

I nodded, impressed.

"Good. You can work with Saundra over at the Infirmary."

"You lucky bastard," Alec chimed in from his perch at the other end of the room, "Saundra's a hot one. Compliant, too." I shot him glare and he smirked. "Jealous, Max?"

"You wish."

"Well, like you said, there's no wrong in hoping." There was something about the way he said it that made me look him full in the eyes. His golden flecks were twinkling and I let out a relieved sigh.

But my heart was feeling…strange.

I ignored it and focused on Ephialte instead; he was starting to look a little crestfallen.

I gave him concerned glance. "Something wrong?"

He shook his head.

I just kept looking at him.

Finally, he relented. "It's just that I'm not good working with other transgenics…especially with women." He said the last part with embarrassment and, this time, I was almost _positive_ that it had only been Aunt Paranoia visiting.

Alec snorted and I shot him my most piercing glare. He sobered.

I gazed at Ephialte tenderly, "I understand. I'll talk to Saundra...You can both work at different times. It'll definitely ease the load. Besides," I added at his skeptical look, "we need more people on recon and on lookout duty, anyway."

His face lightened up.

I jumped down from the counter. "Well, I'll be heading out."

"Where you going?" Alec asked a little too curiously.

"None of your business." My tone must have been sharp because he looked hurt.

"But I'll tell you anyway. I need to check with Dix about some stuff, talk to the inhabitants and find out what we need, track Ames, and talk to Saundra, among other things." I counted off each one.

Alec was looking at me weird. "Need a hand?"

I shook my head, secretly pleased that he asked. "Not really."

He sighed disappointedly and I felt unusually giddy.

"I guess I can see Saundra some other time."

My hopes came crashing down. Inside my chest, my heart lurched painfully. Comically, all I could think of was, 'Thank _God,_ I started to meditate or else my hopes wouldn't be the only ones crashing right about now.'

This shocked me, more than anything. What hopes? We're not _like_ that. At least, _he's_ not like that.

Inside I was a mess, but I exhibited no _outward_ signs of being affected.

Trying to act as normal as possible, I just rolled my eyes and blurred out the door.

**White's P.O.V: **

"What do you _mean_ there's a delay in plans?" I shouted over the receiver. It was the scumbag.

"She hasn't shown interest in taking the cure, sir. Therefore, it has caused a minor change in protocol. Sir."

The voice was somewhat controlled yet in it lay an unmistakable current of frustration. I stored it in the back of my mind. So, the boy was a loaded gun. Seems to thinks he's superior to everyone, too. Hmmmm. That information could come in handy.

"Then make her take the cure! You were top of your class, for crying out loud! Use manipulation, _anything_! Just get her to take it! And make sure she doesn't suspect a thing!" I barked in annoyance.

"Yes, sir. Also, the male, 494, has shown an unusual interest in her and has led me to believe that he might view her in a more…_romantic_ sense, sir."

Was it just me of did I sense some regret?

So, 452 has gotten herself a little admirer. That's certainly…interesting.

"And does she return the notion?"

Pause. "It's hard to tell. They do bicker a lot…But I can ascertain she views him as nothing more than a friend, sir."

I nodded, forgetting for a moment that he couldn't see me. I let out a chuckle.

Oh, the complicated life of a transgenic.

"Humph. Well, report back as soon as you find out anything else. Also, I'll need you to get a hold of the area's layout. This time, contact Ulf, not me. It's too risky."

"Sir, yessir."

With that, I hung up the phone.

**A/N: So, what do you guys think? Want to let me know? I got an idea! Put it in a review! Please! At least you'll sleep better at night knowing that you've made someone's life worth living…a bit dramatic? Well answer me this: is it working? R&R:)**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel. But I do own the Season Two...DVD box set. Ha! Fooled ya!

**This is important:** I'm updating really late 4 all my chapters cuz tryouts are this week and I SERIOUSLY need to polish up my vball skills! It's definitely not cuz i don't want to cuz i love writing strories and, hopefully, making you guys happy : ) so if im late this week, too, plz forgive me!

Here's a list of all the bestest people in the world:

purplebunnywabbit

Levi Jennings II

shellybelly

FemmePhantom

tigerjade454

Kelly

NShadows

X5-452 and 494

Mahine

djonie

p3karen

jorie

Want to be one of them? I know! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!!!!

Ok, hope you guys like it, here's **Chapter 9:**

'One thousand one hundred and ninety-eight, one thousand one hundred and ninety nine, one thousand two hundred...'

I was counting the seconds it would take for me to safely slink out of the room without Mole thinking I was tagging after Max. So far I was up to 20 minutes. That was enough, right? I glanced over at Ephialtes. He was tightening the screws on his bed, occasionally looking over at the lizard-man hybrid, and shooting him anxious looks, clearly worried that he would wreck the sink; Mole was still 'fixing' the pipes, to no avail.

I cleared my throat, hoping to catch their attention. It didn't.

This time, I sighed.

Still not working.

Hmmmm. This is when you really got to get creative...

"ACHOO!"

"Bless you." Ephialtes's bored and unmistakably amused voice drifted from across the room.

However, before I was about to vocalize my thanks, Mole, nonetheless, interrupted.

"Alec, we all know you want to go find Little Miss Priss. So can you quit your pussy-footin' and go away?"

I sniffed. "Well, if you want to be _rude_ about it..."

"Please," he deadpanned.

"If you insist..."

"Yeah, whatever."

I was about to retort, but changed my mind; after all, Mole had already ducked his head back down under the sink.

I stepped out of the building to be greeted by sunny skies with a high of seventy-five. Dozens of other transgenics were taking advantage of the rare, but hardly unwelcome, weather and milling about the littered streets, occasionally stopping to exchange words with a friend. It was a beautiful sight; X's conversing with transhumans, Psy-Ops soldiers slapping hands with X-5s. Almost gave me a fuzzy feeling in my heart. Almost.

"Hey, Alec!" It was Zane. The bulky transgenic approached me quickly.

"Do you know what's happening with Max?" He questioned, voice concerned.

"Uh, I didn't know there was anything _happening _with Max," I told him honestly. "She was fine this morning." I found myself bristling as I recalled out last encounter.

I had practically done _everything_ in my power to make her jealous, even going as far as pretending to be interested in Saundra.

Well, look how good _that_ turned out to be. Max didn't even seem in the least bit bothered by it.

"She hasn't really said anything...but something's definitely off with her." Zane looked off into the distance, apparently lost in thought. Or so it first appeared. I discreetly snuck a glance to the direction of his gaze. It was Saundra, the medic, conversing with an X-4 named Justin.

"What'd she do?" I asked Zane, opting to seem unaware.

"Huh? Oh. Nothing. She was just going around, talking to people, asking about their opinions. You know, normal leader stuff." His attention drifted off once more to Saundra and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Max was acting strange and here he was drooling over Saundra...

Something clicked. 'Could Max have been jealous of Saundra? Is she really attracted to me?' My hopes flared...and swooped back down. Max would never be interested in me. She might care for me as a friend, but certainly nothing more. If she did, then wouldn't she _do_ something about it?

I recalled this morning's every detail. Let's see, Max was shifting from one foot to the other, expressing discomfort or repressed emotions. Seconds later, she'd raced out the door faster than I can say 'Clothes off.'

But that doesn't really reveal anything; Max is _always_ like that. Then I got it; her eyes. I never got to see them because they were downcast. She was obviously hiding something.

Could she really be attracted to me? I shook my head. It was time we both started talking.

"Zane?" No response.

"Zaa-ane?" I sing-songed. Still no response.

I whistled. "Naked chicks...now that's what _I'm_ talking about."

Zane's head whipped around so fast, it was almost a blur. "What? Where?"

I scrunched up my nose in confusion. "What the _hell _are you talking about these days? Anyway, do you know where Max is? It's important."

His eyes cleared. "Ahem. Yeah. She told me she was going to talk to Dix about some stuff."

I pivoted on my heels, prepared to search for Max. But before I walked off, I knew I had to say something. "Hey, Saundra!"

She looked over at me expectantly.

"Zane likes you."

I blurred away before he could get to me.

Alas, my luck was about to run out. On my way into H.Q, I spotted Genoa hovering outside. Now, what are the chances of a highly trained X-5 sensing my immediate presence?

Apparently, not slim enough.

"Munchkin!" Her voice alone was enough to crack glass. I approached her, a plastic smile plastered on my face.

"Hey there...Genoa. How's it going?"

She pouted, sending shivers of revulsion cascading down my spine. "A wine glass exploded on me today."

I arched a brow. "It exploded on you?"

"Uhuh. Max was talking to Dix and then all of a sudden, she starts pacing around. So, I _politely_ tell her to stop. Then, she starts glaring at me. I, of course, decide to take the high road and just stand there, doing absolutely nothing. Then, from out of nowhere, the glass shatters! It was crystal, too!"

She pouted again. Oh, the pain!

"I was about to tell her to apologize but she went in the ward to go talk to Ephialtes­­-­-"

"Whoa. _Ephialtes_?"

"Yeah, you know. That hot, new guy--"

"But I thought it was Saundra's shift."

Genoa started inspecting her fingernails, bored with the conversation. "I guess not."

Frustrated, I shook Genoa's shoulders, making her teeth rattle in a very unappealing manner.

"Look at me." She looked at me. "Continue."

"Well, it _was _Saundra's shift. But then Ephialtes, bless him, thought she could use a break, so he took over. Now, Max is getting 'cured.'" Her words came out in a rush, but thankfully intelligible.

I felt my insides crumble. Max was getting the cure and she didn't even ask me to come? She'd preferred Ephialtes instead? I couldn't breathe and I felt dizzy. My head felt leaden and my heart refused to beat...at least, I didn't want it to.

Then, as if on cue, Max herself, appeared. She came to an abrupt stop as she saw me, first looking happy and panicked at the same time. I was confused by the whirlwind of emotions going through her delicate features. She glanced at Genoa, eyes widening and, in what seemed to be with great effort, turned her head to look at me. Her hurt and vulnerable eyes bore into my bewildered ones. It didn't take me long to realize why; my hands were still on Genoa's shoulders, and our bodies were almost touching. I jumped back with a start. But when I looked back at Max, she was gone.

Splat.

A raindrop fell on my cheek. Then another one. It was raining.

* * *

AT SANDEMAN'S HOUSE:

Logan sat hunched over a glowing computer screen, the only source of light in the otherwise dreary apartment. He was typing furiously, intent on his task. After a couple of seconds, a piercing, and undeniably girlish scream sliced the air.

"Aaaaaaah!!!!"

He looked at the computer screen again, incredulous. 'This can't possibly be happening! I was careful! I covered my tracks...'

'Oh, no.' Logan looks at the date of the newspaper article; it was from five days ago. He's been dead for five days!' Logan blinked, looking in bewilderment at the computer screen. "That can't be right," he wonders aloud. "I received the cure via mail three days ago, giving it to Max the very next day..."

Oh. My. Bill Gates.

"He was already dead by then...That means that someone else must have given me the cure. But why is he dead? And what does this have to do with the cure?"

There were no answers, only silence.

For a long time, Logan just sat there, staring at a computer screen.

It stared back.

Finally, he did the one thing he should have done in the first place; he picked up the phone.

* * *

MAX'S P.O.V

The sky was cloudy and the rain beat on me with uncontrollable fury. But I couldn't care less. My thoughts were once again fixated on Alec.

'That bastard. Why doesn't he like me? Am I too bossy? Am I not pretty enough—'

Whoa. I stopped myself before I could go even further down the road of insecurity.

I already admit that I'm..._somewhat_ attracted to Alec. Let's face it, what girl wouldn't? Not that I'd ever tell that to his face...His ego's worse enough as it is.

So...why am I feeling this depressed? Why do I feel like my heart's shattering into a million little pieces? Why does it suddenly feel as if it's the end of the world? Water streaked down my cheeks and I noticed, for the first time, that it wasn't the rain.

In the distance, thunder boomed and, for a split second, the air around me sizzled electrifyingly. Then, as if a light bulb went of in my head, I suddenly got it.

It was so amazingly simple that I had overlooked it. 'How could I have not realized this before? How could I have missed the telltale signs of my bleeding heart? How could I not notice the shivers running through my spine at the sight of him? How could I have not realized that I was, utterly and irrevocably, in love with—'

My thoughts came to an unforeseen halt as my head started to feel like it had split into two. The pain was tremendous, blocking all coherent thought.

I sank to the ground, helpless, teeth clenched in pain and my hands fisted.

So, it was really no surprise, that as the edges of blackness supplanted my vision, I've never felt so grateful in all my life.

Welcome to oblivion.

* * *

MEANWHILE, AT HEADQUARTERS:

Contentedly stationed on his favorite chair, facing all of H.Q, Dix put his hands behind his head and settled for some much sought-after relaxation time.

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!" The telephone shrieked angrily, loud and unforgiving.

To get up or not to get up? That seems to be the dilemma here.

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!"

"Someone get that!" Wilson shouted from above the rafters, where he was fixing a leak.

Dix got up with a groan. He was just getting comfortable, too.

"Hello?" He asked gruffly.

"It's Logan. This is urgent news. I've got to speak—"

"Max isn't here."

"Oh. Well, tell her not to take the cure! The man responsible for it's existence is dead! He's been dead for five days. That's a couple of days _before_ I acquired the cure. I think White might be responsible! Hello? Hello!"

Dix dropped the phone, unable to move. _Oh, no._

A/N: So? What'd you think? Put it in review and I'll fix whatever needs to be fixed: )


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do now own Dark Angel or any of its contents.

A/N: Just wanted to give a shoutout to the greatest people in the worlds, who I hope do not hate me, even as I left them in suspense for so many weeks.

Shellybelly23

FemmePhantom

src13

NShadows

Mahine

p3karen

djonie

Levi Jennings II

X5-452 and 494

purplebunnywabbit

**CHAPTER 10:**

**Alec's P.O.V:**

"Aaah."

I sighed in contentment as the cool rivulets of water cascaded down my back. Pure bliss. Or at least, it would be if this nagging feeling in my gut would leave me. I can't explain it. My hands have gone clammy, my stomach seems to have dropped 4 feet to the floor, and I've seem to have lost my ability to think of anything else. But, surely, this is just the byproduct of my overactive imaginations. After all, Max's only been gone for about an hour...

My stomach dropped. Even just thinking about what I did to her made me feel like running ofF a cliff. The hand that I'd used to scrub myself hovered.

'What am I talking about? I hadn't done _anything_ to her. I was practically glued to Genoa. So what? I'm close to _every_ girl. It hadn't bothered her before. It's not my fault...Then why do I feel like I'm missing something? But what _else_ is there to think about? She came, she saw, she left...'

I pondered. 'Think Casanova, think!'

And just like that, the proverbial light bulb flashed, bright and impossible to miss.

'Unless, Max has a thing for me and is jealous. That's not a very unlikely possibility. I mean, if she could fall in love with Logboy then chances are pretty good that she, at the very least, has a thing for—' 

And just like that, the light bulb suddenly lost its will to shine.

I cut myself off before I could explore that thought any further. What's the use? Surely, there'd be nothing to face except disappointment.

I resumed lathering my chest, hands working vigorously.

'Don't think. Just breathe.'

But the feeling in my gut intensified. I couldn't take it any more. Something just wasn't right. Hurriedly, I turned the shower knob, ceasing the flow of water, and began to get out of the tub, scrambling in haste dry myself off. Ten minutes later I was ready to go, dressed up in a comfy pair of jeans and a light blue polo shirt, topped off with my favorite leather jacket.

Just then, I heard footsteps, quick and heavy, approaching.

'Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop.'

I jumped soundlessly to the left, deftly grabbing a baseball bat I had strategically placed near the door, and crouched in a defensive position.

_Whoosh_.

The door opened to reveal a panicked Zane. His eyes were wide, breaths coming in short, little bursts.

"What's wrong?"

He glanced fearfully at me, taking in the raised bat.

"Oh." Carefully, I put down the bat.

"It's Max," he began, still breathing erratically, "Now, before I tell you, I want you to promise me that you won't freak out, okay?" He looked at me seriously. "_Okay_? Because I do _not_ need you to freak out right—"

I couldn't take it anymore; I needed to know if Max was all right. Without the least bit regretful, I grabbed Zane by the scruff of his shirt and slammed him to the wall, which shook in protest. All thought about his sheer size and the fact that he was Max's brother disappeared with a _poof_.

I looked at him hard, my eyes fixed on his. "What. About. Max."

Every word was precise and stressed. Zane gulped, and, to my immense relief, started to talk.

"Dix told me that the cure was a dud and Max is nowhere to be found--"

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean the 'cure was a dud'?"

He swallowed, eyes darting around the room until they met mine, reluctant courage displayed in their depths. _Let go of me, _they said.

I let go of him, determination still on high. "Something about a cure?"

"Logan can give you more information. All _I_ know is that the scientist who made the cure was already dead before Logan got hold of it. That means—"

"Someone else mailed it," I finished for him.

"Exactly."

We were quiet for a moment. The implications of this newfound knowledge were substantial. It signified that, through the scientist, someone had access to data concerning Max's DNA, data that we've been so zealously guarding. It also meant that this _someone _had gone through great lengths to acquire and keep said information.

As if this wasn't bad enough, the gap between the cure's completion, assuming that the cure was finished before the scientist's death, and the time Logan actually received the cure made it possible—scratch that, practically _guaranteed _that someone had been tampering with it. Now, I could understand why Zane might think that the cure was a dud.

I sat down heavily on a nearby chair. After taking a minute to compose myself, I looked purposefully at Zane. "I should go find her."

"Don't bother, Joshua and his canine friends are already on it." At this point, I was already up. I didn't pause on my way towards the—err, doorway. "Well, then I'm helping." I knew Zane was about to argue, so I didn't give him the chance. "We need to talk to Logan. Make sure he's here by the time I get back."

Zane nodded. "I thought you might say that, so I called ahead of time." He glanced at the clock mounted above the counter, on the ceiling wall. "He should be here in a couple of minutes. I'm gonna stay here and find out what I can about all this."

I was already out in hall and turning a corner leading to the stairwell by the time he finished his last sentence.

* * *

Outside, the rain was pouring, cold, torrents of water pummeling my body. I was perilously close to breaking down; after all, Max was in _danger! _But that would just delay and quite possibly decrease my chances of getting to her. Thankfully, Manticore training took over, leaving no room for emotion. 

From H.Q, I walked east, where I last saw her headed. I felt a sting as I realized that she could be missing because of me. But I shrugged it off; right now, I had to concentrate on finding Max. Dilating my eyes, I scouted the area for any sign of her.

I passed blocks of littered streets, battered buildings, and hunched up transgenics. I was debating which one I should ask when, Manny, an X-4, came up to me.

"Hey, Alec," he greeted me gruffly, while shuffling uncomfortably from one foot to another, water dripping down his clothes. Manny was bulky, all brawns and no brain. He had a permanently shaved head, and his clothes were loose and tattered. An angry, pink scar ran from the center of his forehead, down the ridge of his nose, and angling down on his left nostril to stop right above his upper lip. It was a mating scar, the type gotten from a mating battle; it was the ones that never healed. I gestured for us to move under a balcony.

"Hey, Manny." I looked him over, noting his anxiousness, while I tried to hide mine. "You seen Max around lately?"

He harrumphed. "You're the second person to ask me that. What's wrong? Has the O'Niner run away again?" He said leeringly, but I only stared at him hard in return, refusing to back down. The earth stopped moving; our breaths suddenly increased in noise level. I was Alpha, not him. After a while, he looked down, displaying the universal sign of surrender. He cleared his throat, "Yeah, I saw her headin' over that way." He hooked a thumb towards a small, secluded alleyway to the far right of me.

"Thanks," I told him coolly, starting to turn away.

"Wait!"

I spun around to him expectantly, squashing an urge to start tapping my foot.

He seemed reluctant and I nodded impatiently for him to continue.

"Max...She's been a little out of sorts." He quickly stole a glance at me, checking to see my reaction. "Not in a bad way, of course. I guess what I'm trying to ask if there's anything we—" He gestured to the crowd of transgenic that had formed around him, "could do to help?" This was certainly an unexected turn of events. I was touched but still...

I hesitated. I couldn't tell them the entire truth. First, there was the inevitable fact that we weren't exactly positive just exactly _what _was going on and, secondly, it would cause a decrease in morale. Besides, Commanding officers were taught to be stoic and detached at all times. An inability to control emotions was not only frowned upon, it was unforgivable and a cause for punishment.

Additionally, I didn't trust myself enough to be able to tell the entire story without breaking down. However, they were a suspicious lot. Suspicious transgenics are nosy transgenics. Nosy transgenic equal trouble.

"She hasn't been getting much sleep, overworking herself." It wasn't much but it was close enough to the truth. At least, if close meant 'wholly unrelated _whatsoever,_' then I was right on the dot. They nodded, accepting the answer and I let out a relieved breath.

Satisfied, I jogged towards the alleyway, pursuing my search on Max. There was no sign of her. The alleyway was surprisingly long, and I couldn't help but doubt my efforts. _What if it's too late? What if Max is already—_

'This is why I'm hot. This is why I'm hot. This is why, this is—'

The sound of my ring tone startled me out of my gloomy thoughts. I shook my head, trying unsuccessfully to clear the cold dread that had settled over the pit of my stomach and slow the frantic beating of my aching heart. Taking a deep breath, I pressed the answer button, forgetting to check the caller I.D.

"Hello?" I hoped my voice sounded collected enough.

"Hey, it's Logan."

"Oh. Has anyone found Max yet?"

Silence.

"We were hoping _you _have."

The rundown alley soon gave way to a large, empty street. By now, the rain had stopped. I sniffed the air. Vanilla and a hint of something else filled my nostrils. Hope filled my soul. It was Max.

"Logan, I got to go but tell Ephialtes to get the Med Bay ready."

"Wait a minute. You found—"

"Logan. Just. Do. It." With that, I flipped off my phone and ran, literally, to where my nose led me. For what seemed like eternity, I paced down the deserted road. The scent was definitely getting stronger as I went. I turned a corner...

And there she was.

Blurring, I arrived at her side. She looked like hell. Her naturally bronzed skin had turned an alarming shade of gray. Her facial features were contorted in pain, brows furrowed, forehead crinkled, lush lips tightly drawn, and beautiful, brown eyes sealed shut. She looked fragile and small against rough, hard asphalt, a puddle of water and gunk sullying her hair and clothes. With trembling fingers, I checked her neck for a pulse, releasing a sigh as I felt a faint, yet unmistakable, beating. I took out my phone, quickly telling Dix to alert the meds about Max's condition, just in case Logan hadn't came through.

Then, without second thought, I gently lifted Max in my arms, gunk and all, and blurred all the way towards H.Q. Many twists and turns later, I arrived in front of Ephialtes in the Med Bay, bypassing Logan on the way there. Zane arrived a little later, looking like hell himself. His face lost its color as he saw Max, limp and lifeless in my arms.

"Is she all right? Max can you hear—"

"Excuse me, but who are you?" It was Ephialte, an a damp cloth in hand.

Zane stared at him, as if just aware of his presence. "Oh, sorry. I thought everyone knew me already." He smiled humorlessly, "Max pretty much made sure of that. I'm Zane, Max's brother."

While Zane was talking, Ephialtes had been instructing me to situate Max down gently on the hospital bed. It was pretty steady, not even giving way to a creak as I set her down. Ephialtes handed me the thermometer and started to clean her face. But the moment Zane said 'brother,' he froze.

"You are biologically related to her?" He asked casually, while his eyes remained curious. Too curious, if you ask me. If Zane noticed, he didn't let on, continuing to talk.

"No. But I was in her unit." At Ephialtes's confused look, he persisted. "I was one of the eleven who escaped. I'm an O'Niner." At this point, Ephialtes looked to be made out of concrete. He never blinked, or even breathed for a full minute, except for a veing throbbing violently in his temple. Zane glanced at me, concerned.

I could read his eyes. '_Does he hate O'Niners, too?_'

However, before I could inquire if he was all right, Ephialtes recovered, acting as if nothing strange had happened. He resumed wiping Max's forehead with the moist cloth, soon moving to hook a needle on her wrist.

The needle was attached to a large, elaborate device. Immediately, it started to display her heart rate, blood pressure, everything. Zane and I, though, were left in the dust, confused. Then, Ephialtes jerked his head upwards, eyes probing. "Alec, I need her temperature. This is an emergency."

Hastily, I stuck the thermometer in her mouth. "When'd we get that thing?" was the only thing I could think of saying.

Ephialte looked at me unwaveringly. "I got it from a friend. It's high-end technology. Not even the most advanced hospitals have it yet. It does everything, from regulating your heartbeat, supplying you with oxygen, analyzing your blood, to monitoring your brain wave patterns."

I let out a rueful smile. "Except take temperature."

Zane, however, let out an impressive whistle. "Some friend."

'_Yeah,' _I couldn't help thinking, '_Some friend.' _

_"_So, is she going to be all right?" I asked Ephialtes.

He didn't answer me for a long time, just proceeded to stare at the large, silver contraption, as if it held all the answers...which it probably did.

Finally, just when I though I'd burst with frustration, he spoke, "She's unconcious, stuck in a possbily prolonged comatose state." My breath hiched. " But yeah, she'll be fine. Well, she's going to live, anyway. I just need to examine her, find out what's wrong..." His voice tuned out. All I could concentrate on was Max's beautiful, white face. She was going to survive.

Reaching down, I tenderly stroked Max's pale face. Quietly, I whispered into her ear, "What have you gotten yourself into?"

A/N: I'M SORRY! I tried to make this chaper extra good. I'm going to try (try being the key word here) to get in as many updates as possible b4 nxt week cuz a.) I'm gong to v-ball camp for a whole week and b.) I'm going to California th week after that. So, once again I'm Very Sorry. This has been my longest absence ever. Sorry.


End file.
